Protection
by nico229
Summary: AU... Run away rich girl Hanna ends up hiring Caleb as her bodyguard so that she can escape the clutches of her ex fiancee
1. Chapter 1

Hanna made her way through the LAX terminal quickly, as she feared someone might still be following her, eventhough she had managed to change her clothes in a public bathroom and she had put on a red wig that hid her blonde locks perfectly, Leaving her clothes in the trash bin she had made a bee line straight to the exit of the airport.

Once she got out she took a cab, as she got inside she gave him the adress of a small hotel where she knew arrangements had been made so that she would be able to spend the night there quietly. She thanked the lord that she had been able to book the room under a fake name.

Getting inside the room she carefully dialled a phone number as she crumbled on the middle of the bed. As the person finally answered Hanna sighed as she watched the ceiling above. 

-"_Hey Spencer, it's me , Hanna. I left Him. __I__t's best if you don't know where I am for now just in case he tries to find me. I'll let you know once I'm settled somewhere safe. Take care._" Hanna took a quick shower and then she left the room. Heading to a rental place sge used her fake id to rent a car. Carefully driving away to Burbank she headed to an adress she had been recommended by a friend of hers. Walking inside she heade to the front office."_Hello, I'm Hanna Marin. I'm here for my appointment with Mr. Caleb Rivers?_" 

As Olivia Matheson raised her head from her laptop she was stunned by the rough appearance of the woman in front of her. Carefully placing her hand on the table to pick up the phone she extended her other arm inviting Hanna to stay in one of the small rooms next to the front desk.

A sweaty Caleb Rivers made his way from the training ground to see the person who had an appointment with him, but who hadn't even bothered confirming it after she booked it. As such he made his way to his office after he got Olivia's call informing him of his appointment's arrival.

Wiping himself off, Caleb entered the room, his towel brushing his face and neck. As he finished he turned his head to announce the woman in front of him of his arrival. When he moved his head to face her and his eyes stumbled upon the petite woman in front of him Caleb felt his ground shake, while his protective mode kicked in. 

-"_Hello I'm Caleb Rivers. My colleague informed me of your appointment with me. How may I help you?_" The voice of the person in front of her sounded so calm and full of warmth Hanna felt tempted to let her guard down. As she turned to look at him she noticed his eyes.

A pair of soft brown eyes that could, melt an iceberg. Carefully putting her hopes in the agency Aria told her about, Hanna sighed before she answered him. 

-"_M__y name is Hanna Marin. Your agency was recommended to me by one of your former clients, you refer to to as the 'purple rose'_". Caleb's mind started connecting dots right there on the spot. 

-"_You're the friend married to Yakimi_". 

-"_Not married, just the former fiance who fled away from him whe she got the first chance. Once I learned what his plans were for me let's just say I concluded my idea of family and marriage differed a little too much, so I ran away as soon as I could__._" 

-"_T__hen why come to us and ask us for help? Surely if things went well... ahh I see... they didn't end well. He has no idea you've left him, does he?_" 

-"_Look I was kept a prisoner inside his house or guarded by his bodyguards for the better part of the past two years. He wouldn't touch his 'fiancee'before marriage, but his wife or his ex? they are not off limits. By running away I took a huge risk and I've endagered not only what little family I have left but also every friend or person out there that is willing to help me__._" 

Caleb silently nodded his head, his first assesement of the current situation had been right. The person in front of him would get him into a lot of trouble but she really seemed to need it. 

-"_Very well miss Marin, you've got yourself a bodyguard. Just keep in mind that as long as I'm doing this job there will be rules I expect you to follow. Your ex is a very powerful man and I expect this to be a very hard situation for us both as such, you either follow the rules or you walk out the door. The choice is yours__._" After he finished speaking Caleb saw relief flood Hanna's entire being as she took a deep breathe and nodded her head in agreement. 

-"_I just hope you don't end up regretting deciding to help me__._"As a small smile appeared on Hanna's face Caleb felt his heart start doing some strange loops inside him. Knowing full well a distraction of any type could become lethal in this type of things he decided to keep his distance from the petite woman in front of him. At least for now.

As he asked Hanna to wait inside the office for Olivia to bring her the contract to sign, Hanna sighed in relief. Aria had once more been a life saver. She had planned Hanna's escape for well over a year now getting everything in order so that no one would be able to find her or find out who had helped Hanna.

As Hanna sat down on the couch in the small office she fell asleep while waiting. Hours later she woke up abruptly only to find Caleb working on his laptop silently as she was covered by a blanket. Raising her eyebrow towards him she noticed he had changed into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie. 

-"_The idea of being safe helps people relax, that's why we keep blankets and pillows in here. We never know when we'll need them. Now I assume you have no place to stay yet as such I've made accomodations for us to stay at one of my friends house. He's out of the country right now and his house has an impressive security system. So why don't we just get you to a place with a real bed where you can get an actual decent sleep?_"

Hanna nodded her head unable to argue with his logic. The pair made their way to his car, leaving hers inside the parking lot. As Hanna sat on the back seat she watched Caleb drive, once more feeling completely safe she fell asleep. Upon reaching their destination, Caleb got her out of the car and carried her inside one of the house's four bedroom's.

He set her down on the bed covering her with a blanket before he headed to the room across the hall, leaving the door open so that he'd know if there was the smallest problem. He changed inside a pair of shorts and the as he settled on the bed he watched some television, his mind focused enitrely on the woman in the next room...

**So lovelies, I know I haven't updated "Miss me" in a cpuple of days, but as Itraveled a lot these past few days I've gotten inspired into writing this fic. That's why let me know what you guys think ok? Kisses N**


	2. Chapter 2

Hanna slept like a baby for the first time in months. When she woke up in the morning she felt a little disoriented as she didn't remember anything about getting inside the bedroom or the ride home. Sitting up from the bed she silently got on her feet noticing that there were two doors inside the room. Pushing the first one aside she entered a bathroom.

Turning on her feet she walked by to what she had at first believed to be a large window only for it to be another door leading to a small balcony watching over a huge garden. She immediately noticed a helipad and a pool had been built on the property. Looking around her, she started to feel uncomfortable at the idea of being inside a stranger's house.

But then she remembered that she'd spent two years being followed and watched from the moment she woke up until she went to bed in the evening. Walking inside the bathroom she found a spare tooth brush and used it to refresh herself a little. Emerging from her after that she was surprised to see Caleb waiting for her outside her room in an armchair near a window reading the news paper.

As soon as she walked out of the room he put it down on a small table beside him and walked towards her. As he stopped to stand in front of her Hanna suddenly felt her mouth go dry. The previus day as she'd seen him coming inside the meeting right after practice he'd seemed like the regular hot looking playboy. Now as he stood in front of her dressed in a suit, and wearing an audio device connecting him to his HQ office, she understood better why Aria had recommended him. He felt to be right down lethal. Hanna felt him study her closely and as he did so she turned to face him. An intense staring contest started between them before he settled for finally speaking.

-"_Good morning I trust that you slept well._"Still unsure what to believe of the strange eye showdown, Hanna just nodded her head towards him. "_I've set up a schedule for you to be constantly under the care of either me or one of the people in my team. We'll take rotations into doing our jobs. Miss Marin, none of us will try to intrude into your personal life but I expect you to cooperate with both me and my team and not to give us a hard time as we do our jobs. Remember you are the one that came to us for protection not the other way around. Also if we're to do this I have a few questions about Akimi that need to be answered._"

Caleb didn't tell her that a full investigation was taking place and that by the end of the day he would end up having a check up file on his desk of every public information he could gather on both Hanna and Akimi. He however knew that there were some elements only Hanna could tell him about in order for him to do his job.

This however was not the time for such a conversation for he suspected the petite woman in front of him was lacking in the clothes department and also she appeared to be famished. Taking her gently by the wrist he showed her the way to the kitchen where a table for two was settled as the same young woman as the day before was them enter she made a move to raise but Caleb gestured for her to sit down and eat with them.

As Hanna poured herself some coffee she learned from Caleb that the woman's name was Olivia. She was both the PR face for their company but also one of their best bodyguards, she was one of the best women working in their branch, and she'd also been helping Caleb develop his company acting as his second in command. sipping in her coffee and processing everything that was going on Hanna's mind wandered to how her life had ended up being such a huge mess.

Turning her head to face the terrace by the pool she carefully considered where exactly she should start her story. As she turned her head to the two people standing besides her at the table she noticed Caleb giving her a small encouraging smile. For he knew that talking about traumatic experiences always hurt, but in time it got easier to talk about them and dealing with them. As such both him and Olivia sat down comfortably at the table as Hanna started telling them her story. A silent agreement of keeping it private passing by between them...

_"I met him when I had just turned twenty, at a party held at the Greek embassy that my parents had been hosting. To me everything had been special about that night. Not only was it my birthday, but also it was the first time I had been allowed to attend such a party. The first time I sat down at the grown up table._  
_It was my first party away from my friends. The friends that I grew up witw in boarding school. It was supposed to be the last year that I spent living under my parents constant guidance, or as I thought at the time, their hawk eyes. In a year I was supposed to inherit a large fortune, from my grandmother, that had been established in a trust fund for me, on my birthday._  
_I dad been so excited feeling as if the whole world was mine... And that's when I met him... He had seemed so charming snd full of life, I had easily become enthralle by his charms, despite my parent's opposition. He was funny, a young man working in the embassy from the Greek delegation. He started out there as a favor done to his family and then he started his construction business which expanded to all sorts of areas worldwide._  
_It had all been a lie. He had been using his connection that he'd established in the embassy to avoid any type of uncomfortable questionings. I realized his true face when my father suddenly died in a car crash._  
_My mom was admitted to the hospital after the crash and he had offered me constant suppot, but as I started to lean on im my friends realised his agenda._  
_Among the properties my grandmother left me was a ranch, my family uesd to raise cows and muttons._  
_There was a potentail of using it as a profitable amusement park but my grandmother opposed the idea, as such when I inherited the property, an additional clause was added so that I couldn't sell it or change it's purpose, but should it be in my best interest to do so, the man whom I would eventually marry, could choose to do so._  
_Unfortunately by the time I learned this I had accepted to stay at his vila in Greece for a vacation. He told his staff I was mentally unstable and had to be guarded at all times for my own protection. He also tried to convince my friends I had accepted his marriage proposal and was more than happy to live the rest of my life there... except they didn't believe it and with one of them helping me I managed to escape. She was the same person who sent me here to you..."_

**_Hello lovelies. Thank you so much for the interest you guys have shown towards this fic. It really surprised me a lot. Hopefully you'll all be as pleased with the result as I am with writing it._**

**_Atramea... cara quella scena dovrebbe pure succedere a Haleb in PLL, perche a questo punto tutti noi volliamo che ormai succedesi qualcosa di simile tra Hanna e Caleb. Stop me when I start to get embarrasing ok?_**

**_Katie I'm making them have a slight age difference between them, you'll understand why after I post chapter 3. Olivia's sticking around this fic too and since I already mentioned Aria so we'll see a little of her in here as well... _**

**_Treanne thank you for the compliment._**

**_Anon 1 the next update will come sooner than this one did._**

**_Anon 2 I think you gave one of the sweetest compliments I ever thought I would receive in you review... Tank you so much_**

**_Emma Thank you for reviewing._**

**_Anon 3. I'm not a fan of soccer and the world cup but I'm glad for you._**

**_Papayasofancy I try to update as often as possible given that I'm writing two stories at the same time and also I have a job for which I travel 4-5 hours each day..._**

**_Anyway I hope to hear your opinions on this chapter as well._**

**_kisses N._**


	3. Chapter 3

Olivia leaned on her chair assessing the situation. Cale, upon hearing just who Hanna's ex was, had suggested they go for their secondary form of protection in Hanna's case: intense self-defence courses.

It was something they rarely did for their clients. Their last client to get such training had been the petite brunette Aria Montgomery, who had just split from Ezra Fitzgerald. She had asked for their help initially until her current husband and attorney, Noel Kahn, managed to get a restraining order for him.

The clients that they had trained in such ways were given flower codes as such only Olivia and Caleb knew the persons trained by them, increasing the confidentiality around their clients well fare.

Both Olivia and Caleb selected them on the basis that at some point, should they not be there to help them, their clients would manage to stay safe until help arrived. That's why they both talked things through when it came to such cases.

Regarding Hanna's case opinions were divided. Caleb had only once before recommended for someone to be trained by them. Allison had been his wife for a year before she filed for a divorce, claiming he was married to his job and never paid her any attention.

To this day, five years later, Olivia wanted to kill Caleb's ex for hurting him and making him a person who had to many walls built around his heart. However, when they had walked inside the kitchen today, Olivia thought she had seen a glimpse of the old Caleb resurface. Rationally speaking, Olivia decided she shouldn't hope for him to get too attached to Hanna.

He was too cold nowadays to allow such a thing to happen a second time around, for him to allow himself get involved with his client once more and if he did allow himself to get involved with a client again, he could put them both at risk.

While Olivia mused how to deal with the things going on, Caleb studied Hanna very carefully as she told them her story. He felt that she was keeping some things to herself. Wondering what else Akimi did to her, he internally cringed at the idea of getting too attached to one of his clients once more. However, there was no denying he really hated the idea of someone touching and hurting Hanna. The idea of being so protective over one of his clients terrified Caleb.

Hanna, on the other hand, studied and waited for their reactions. An uncomfortable silence filled the kitchen, interrupted only by the sound of Olivia's arose from the table and excused herself. She walked outside the house, making sure to study its perimeter while she was out there.

Hanna turned her face to Caleb's and felt shivers go down her back, as heat suddenly filled her belly. Once more she realized that this man, was one who was very dangerous, but she noticed he was also a man who had been deeply hurt by someone. As they looked at each other Hanna had the distinct sensation that while Caleb was a lone wolf, she had just become his prey...

Feeling uncomfortable, Hanna decided to get some fresh air. She rose from her chair and walked out of the house and Caleb silently followed her, keeping his eyes on their surroundings. Hanna felt stupid for developing a crush on her bodyguard because that meant trouble for them both. She turned around quickly on her heels to step out on the stairs and face him and lost her balance. Caleb reacted quickly and extending his arms to catch her and then helped steady her back on her feet.

Neither of them noticed that they had been maintaining close contact. Caleb's hands rubbed slow, soothing circles on Hanna's lower back and heat once again spread through her body.

-"Caleb, can I talk to you for a second?" Olivia's voice came from the house as Hanna and Caleb let go of each other quickly. Hanna's cheeks burned in embarrassment, while Caleb took a deep breath to calm himself down. When Olivia appeared on the door way Caleb stepped away from Hanna, and gave her a strange look that made Hanna feel as if her legs would suddenly collapse under her.

**Hello everyone i finally managed to write down the third chapter of Protection and my wonderful beta edited it for me. That's why I'm finally able to post a new chapter. You guys really surprised me with the amount of reviews I got on this two chapters. Thank you so much. they mean a lot. Britney I'm trying to update as fast as I can. Atramea let me put it nicely turns and twists and maybe I'll actually manage to pull a little battle of witts and wills between Haleb. Hufflepuffhaleb Titanic? Really? hmmm... maybe one day I'll do my version of it, right now I have my hads full. Halebismylyfe I try to update as fast as possible. Emmalee that's double yummy. Katie... thank you so much for everything. I hope you guys enjoy this and if you did, let me know what you think. Kisses N.**


	4. Chapter 4

Olivia stared at Caleb, questioning him with her pressed her lips together, giving him a look of disapproval. Caleb rubbed his neck in a nervous gesture as he saw Oliva lean on the kitchen's counter and staring at him.

-"You don't have to say anything about this Liv. I know what I'm doing". Olivia pressed her hands on the counter but kept her eyes locked on Caleb. Studying his face as he spoke, she raised her eyebrow as she heard his words.

-"Do you? Because, quite frankly, I'm having a serious case of deja vu, here. Caleb she's our client..."

-"I know that, Liv."

-"You can'tlet this happen again, Caleb. This girl will bring you more trouble than Allison did".

-"Olivia, nothing happened between Hanna and I and it's going to stay this way". Olivia huffed as she watched Hanna walk through the garden. Hanna stopped in front of a rose bush and gently touched a bloomed one.

-"I really want to believe you'll manage to keep yourself under controlfor both your sakes, Caleb. This girl will only get you into trouble". Olivia sighed as Caleb leaned in to hug her and she calmly hugged him back. They stood there in silence, watching Hanna take in a deep breath. "It's time like these when I want to kill, "Bitchy". Under any other circumstances, I'd be the first to encourage the idea of you finally moving on and being interested into someone else, but this definitely feels like you're getting into the same mess as before. Maybe I'm not being fair to Hanna. She could be the best girl on Earth, but I just don't want to see you get hurt once she's safe and no longer our client". Olivia released herself from his hug, as Caleb pressed his lips softly to her forehead.

-"I really don't know what I would've done or where I'd be now if you hadn't been there to pick me up, Liv". Olivia smiled at him, while Caleb reciprocated with one of his famous grins.

-"You'd have probably reverted to being your old, sorry, grumpy, nerdy self and I really didn't like that version of you". As Olivia turned her head from him she froze. Sensing her change in attitude, Caleb asked with concern:

-"What's wrong?" Caleb watched as she shifted her weight before calling out to Hanna.

-"Hanna? There's a phone call for you. They say it's urgent". As a perplexed Hanna walked inside the room, Olivia took her by the hand and walked with her into the study. Caleb followed them, quickly understanding that something was definitely wrong. Once inside the study Olivia closed the door and pushed Hanna away from the windows. Turning around to Caleb, she softly whispered to him making both Hanna and Caleb freeze with concern.

-"What phone call are you talking about? No one knows I'm here". Hanna threw Olivia a confused look as she shifted her eyes in between the pair.

-"I think there's a sniper studying our grounds and security measures outside. There's some sun reflection in places where it shouldn't be. I needed and excuse to get you inside. He's moving fast at tracking you down, Hanna". Just then, Olivia's cell got a text. Once she read it, she pursed her lips in annoyance and groaned. "Your friend Spencer was relocated to one of our agents' house as a safety precaution and she's not happy about it".

-"Spencer? How do you know about her? And why would she have a problem with this idea?" Hanna felt confused.

-"Because she's my boyfriend's younger sister, Nerdy. And the place where she was relocated belongs to her ex, Toby Cavanaugh. And they did end things on a pretty bad note, that usually has them yelling at each other."

-"Wait, you're dating Jason Hastings? Oh crap, Toby and Spencer are gonna definitely gonna kill each other. I'm well aware of how bad things are between them right now".

-"They'll be fine" Caleb realized he said something stupid when both women shot him an annoyed look. "Liv, I'll take care of our pest problem if you'll stay here with Hanna". Making his way out the door Caleb started making some phone calls.

**Hello everyone. Did you miss me? I know I did. Thank you for all the support you guys have shown me for this fic.I've been away for a couple of weeks traveling across Europe by car. Which means my wonderful beta has had her hands full reading the next chapters. Also I wanted to let you guys know starting today I'll only update my fics or post new stuff once a week. I'mm still writing but due to lack off time you guys will get updates only once a week. Sorry about that. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter. And just so we're clear Olivia isn't in love with Caleb, they are close for a reason to be revealed a little later in the story. Now let me know what you guys think about this chapter. also if anyone wants to they can try and guess why Liv and Caleb are so close. I'd love to hear your theories.**

**Kisses, N.**


	5. Chapter 5

Half an hour later, an irritated Jason Hastings entered the house. Caleb had called for back up at the office, to secure the area around the house. Luke Matheson, Olivia's twin brother, answered the phone and then informed the rest of the personnel of the current situation. Caleb, Jason and Luke had served the Air Force together before deciding to create a highly level skilled 'Protection' team.

Luke had sent teams to survey the area around the house while Jason had more or less abducted his sister, Spencer, and moved her to Toby Cavanaugh's place. Walking inside the house he headed straight fo the office. Once inside the house he headed straight to the office. Once he saw Olivia he went to her, picked her up and pushed her against the wall and kissed her.Hanna watched the scene with amusement, while Olivia's cheeks flushed a deep red color when Jason finally released her. It was at the same time that Caleb entered the room and saw what was going on.

-'Jason, I didn't know you were back from Europe'. Caleb was also amused as Jason barely bothered to remove his lips from Olivia's long enough for him to acknowledge the other people's presence.

-'I caught an early flight on my way back from Switzerland. Luke called me and filled me in on what's going on. Then I had to move Nerdy to Toby's place and what a nightmare that was. And now? Now I'm taking my girlfriend away for the day.' Olivia shot him an annoyed look and pushed him away from her. Readjusting her clothes, she turned to face both men in front of her.

-'Sorry, but said girlfriend is busy planning the charity ball that both our mothers will be attending. So unless you plan on explaining to either of them why you suddenly decided to keep me busy, the answer is no'. She watched with satisfaction as both men paled at her words.. Caleb scratched his head while Jason rubbed his beard.

-'Remind me again, when's the charity ball?' Caleb muttered as Hanna watched in silence, observing the interactions between the people in front of her. She had noticed before how close Olivia and Caleb were. She'd actually wondered whether or not the two were lovers, but Jason's arrival had put that theory to rest. She zoned out thinking about it, but then returned her attention to the conversation taking place in front of her.

-'Come on Liv. A date? Seriously?'

-'Caleb, mom wants to see you married happily ever after and she won't stop wanting to see that happen so you better find a date on your own before mom starts looking for suitable girls for you.' Caleb gave a groan as Jason finally had enough of the conversation before him. Nodding his head towards Hanna and Caleb, he took Olivia by surprise and threw her on his shoulder and carried her away from the room. A laughing Olivia beat his back as he took her away from the house.

-'They usually behave better, but Jason gets like this every time he goes away from town for more than a couple of weeks. One of our previous cases ended badly. We nearly lost Olivia because of a gunshot'. Caleb, for some reason, felt the need to explain the lack of manners his staff had just displayed, even though Hanna didn't seemed bothered by their display of affection. Hanna became gradually pale as she heard what he had to say.

-'What happened?' Hanna tried to imagine how the brunette's previous injury could have influenced the man in front of her. Jason seemed attached to Olivia like a lost puppy and from what Hanna knew of the man, he rarely let his emotions show.

-'Our client got an refraining order against her ex. When he found out about this, he reacted badly. Olivia stepped in and took a bullet for her client. It had been her first time leading a protection team. Jason was so worried about her that he nearly lost his mind. He's been very protective and possessive towards her ever since'.

-'And what about you? You two seem close. Were you worried that she might have died?' Hanna kicked herself for being so blunt. Caleb gave her an amused grin before he answered her, a playful light shining in his eyes.

-'I always worry about her wellbeing. Luke, Olivia and I were raised together. Her mom married my dad after my parents divorced and my dad won custody over me'. Caleb's grin increased as he saw Hanna shift on her feet. He chuckled as she threw him an annoyed glance.

He continued grinning at her until a pissed off Hanna tried to hit him on the shoulder. Easily stopping her, he spun her around so that she'd have her back glued to his body. Taking charge of her arms and hands he spoke softly into her ear, sending chills down her body.

-'Never lose your temper when you want to hit somebody. Also, you need to put more pressure on your feet. Keep them slightly apart, adjust your gravity center and then hit with all the strength you have'. Caleb had used his hands while talking to put Hanna's legs and arms in a position that would help her to better understand what he was trying to explain to her.

He then moved the coffee table and couch from the center of the room and brought in some exercising mats. Taking Hanna by the hand,Caleb led her to the mats. He showed her several different training positions and he explained every move to her, showing her how to position her arms and legs for each one of them. They trained for several hours.

The training eventually ended as Hanna made a move that had her slip. Caleb reacted quickly, landing them both on the floor with Hanna laying across his lap. He removed a lock of her hair from her face and Hanna tried to sit up only to slip again, resulting in her lips accidentally touching Caleb's.

Before she knew it, their lips were moving together and Caleb's hand was placed behind her head keeping her n place, while her hands wrapped themselves around his neck. Warmth spread throughout Hanna's body as she let him dominate their kiss while pressing herself against his groin, both of them groaning at the sudden friction. Suddenly, the front door opened and an angry female voice could be heard yelling from the kitchen, interrupting the make out session.

-'Caleb Rivers, I need to talk to you so get your ass in here right now'. The spell broke and Hanna quickly pushed herself away from Caleb. Covering her mouth with her hand, Hanna quickly made a beeline back to the room where she' had slept. Sitting on her bed, she covered her face with her hands, embarrassed about what had just happened.

Caleb watched Hanna go and sat silently on the floor until he managed to calm down enough for him to get up.

**Hello to everyone. Sorry its taken me so long to update this chapter. I got busy with something else and couldn****'t update until now. Anon your theory had me smiling for a good half an hour when I read it. Thank you for telling me, but I won't follow Ravenswood curse plot in this fic. Emma I hope you like this chapter as well. Katie you were so close with your review. Honestly? I would've loved to see more interactions between Caleb and Remy or Olivia, and also I can't wait to see more of Spaleb in this week's episode. Did you enjoyed the twist I created with their relationship? Did i managed to surprise you when you first read this chapter? Also I want to thank all of you lovely people who have stated following this fic and who have favorited it. It really makes me excited to receive so much support. I hope you guys enjoy this fic and let me know what you guys think. Also there's a small bonus scene coming up from the next chapter.**

**Enjoy it,**

**N**.

_Soon to come:_

_-'Jason Hastings save this speech for your sister. And, for the record when she finds out the truth and decides to kill you, I'll hep her hide the body...'_

_-'Women solidarity at its finest, right?' Jason smiled for he knew that Olivia and Spencer had been close ever since they had first met, hitting it off right away._


	6. Chapter 6

Spencer Hastings stormed inside the house, much like her brother Jason had several hours before. Several minutes later, a breathless Caleb entered the kitchen and groaned while a calm whistling Toby followed Spencer inside the house.

-'Spencer, hello. How are you? What can I do for you?' Caleb pulled himself together quickly as he watched Jason's sister fume at decided to face her as soon as possible, knowing fully well she had a temper just as bad as his.

-'You can start by explaining to me why the hell my brother forced me to move into my ex's house? What's going... Hanna? Oh my God'. Spencer lost her words as she saw her friend descend the stairs. Half a minute later, she jumped out of her seat passing both Caleb and Toby, and threw her arms around the petite blonde in front of her.

-'I thought I heard your voice, Spence. I came downstairs to check if it was just my imagination'. Hanna returned Spencer's hug, letting her blonde locks hide her tears. The two eventually parted as a surprised Spencer began to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

-'Aria. It was Aria that helped you leave Akimi. And then you ended up here with Caleb. I'm glad that you came to ask for his help. You'll be safe here. But that still doesn't explain why I was forced to leave my own house'. Upon hearing what Spencer had to say, a surprised Hanna turned to face Caleb. He sighed when he saw that the two women were staring at him the same look of curiosity in their eyes.

Hands entwined together, the pair of women made their way back inside the kitchen and sat down across the table from Caleb, while Toby studied the garden outside so there wouldn't be any other surprises for them that day. Caleb sighed again and gave Toby an irritated look which clearly said'You're a traitor for making me be the one to say this' before he started to explain what was going on.

-'When we take on a new client, we evaluate the risks and threats that their family or friends can face because of the situation and we try to protect those people as well. In your case, Hanna, there were only three persons that we felt were at risk: Aria, whom we're already protecting; your mother, who is still protected by the embassy staff and Spencer, your best friend'.

The two women exchanged worried glances as they both knew that Spencer had never been a fan of Akimi's and she definitely didn't hide her feelings whenever she was around him.

-'But why move me to Toby's place? Why not bring me here? Or send me to Jason's place?' Spencer asked frowning.

-'Because Toby's place is the second best protected place we have beside this one and keeping you two apart makes it easier for us to focus on protecting you both. And Jason also feared that if the two of you moved in together, one of you might end up killing the other in their sleep.'

Toby smirked as he listened to Caleb calmly explain everything because he knew for a fact that Jason was the one that suggested they move Spencer to Toby's place as things between him and Spencer weren't really over. Spencer noticed him smirk and gave him an irritated look as she realized she was stuck living with him for the time being.

Hanna shifted on her seat as she remembered why Spencer had left Toby despite how much she had adored the man. She also noticed that there was a layer of tension between the two. The pair always kept an eye on each other. If that's how they behaved now that they were supposedly over, Hanna wasn't sure she wanted to be around them if they ever got back together. Judging by the way Caleb watched them with narrowed eye,s he clearly felt the same way she did.

Hanna couldnt be sure, but she had a hunch Spencer's current situation was a set up between Toby and Jason. She knew saying anything about her hunch without having any evidence would only increase the tension and it definitely wouldn't solve anything so she chose to keep her mouth shut.

Somewhere else inside a small restaurant, Olivia set her fork on the table, her fruit salad completely forgotten as she listened as Jason told her his and Toby's plans of reuniting Spencer and Toby. Carefully finishing the bite she had taken, she frowned at him.

-'Jason. Have you completely lost your mind? Why would you agree to such a stupid idea? Your sister has been avoiding her ex for years and you suddenly decide to play match maker between the two of them?'

Jason shifted in his seat as Olivia gave him one of her disapproving his tie, he frowned when he saw how displeased Olivia was.

-'Livy, I may be in the wrong about my actions, but they need to snap out of the funk they are both in. Toby is always moping around like a lost puppy, whereas Spencer never spends more than a month in one place, always working and traveling. I worry about them both. That's why I agreed to this idea. It's time they got closure and moved on.'

-'Jason Hastings save this speech for your sister. And, for the record when she finds out the truth and decides to kill you, I'll hep her hide the body...'

-'Women solidarity at its finest, right?' Jason smiled for he knew that Olivia and Spencer had been close ever since they had first met, hitting it off right away. His smile turned into a frown when he noticed Olivia's ex boyfriend was heading towards them. Olivia sensed his sudden change in spirit and grabbed his hand as she searched his face for answers.

-'Hello Olivia. How are you? It's been a long time since we last saw each other'. Olivia froze in her seat as she heard Dillon speak. She pulled herself together quickly and turned her head to face him.

-'Dillon, I'm fine. I'm just enjoying my lunch date with my boyfriend, Jason. How's Tess? How is your wife doing these days?' She spoke in a calm voice, sending Jason a silent message not to hit the man in front of them.

-'She's fine. She's at home looking over Maxie. Well it's been a pleasure to see you again. Jason, nice to meet you'. Dillon then excused himself, went to the bar to grab his order, and left the restaurant.

-'If I tell you I'm alright, you won't believe me would you?' Olivia tiredly asked. Jason watched Dillon leave, his eyes narrowed.

-'I know he's your ex and that the two of you had an ugly break up,but why did his presence upset you so much? Baby what's wrong? What happened between the two of you?' Jason spoke softly as he watched Olivia cancel the rest of her plans for the day, before she ordering a glass of wine for herself. She hated drinking.

-'Tess used to be my best friend until the morning of my engagement party to Dillon when she told me he had gotten her pregnant. Their families were both set against an abortion so, in order to avoid a bigger scandal, they got married to each other.'. Jason felt his temper rise and he regretted not punching the man the moment he saw him walk towards their table.

Olivia rubbed her temple, knowing exactly what Jason was thinking.

-'After they got married, I left for my year-long internship in Venice, where we met. I stopped regretting what happened and moved on from the past because it brought you to my life. So why cry over spilled milk?'

Once they finished their lunch, they left the restaurant, Olivia's head resting on Jason's shoulder as they walked and his hand was wrapped around her waist. The made their way back to Olivia's place where they sat down on the couch and watched a movie. Jason played with locks of Olivia's hair until he felt her fall wrapped his arms around her he let sleep overtake him over as well..

**Hello to everyone. Sorry it's taken me so long o update this, but I've been under a lot of pressure at work lately, this islike my first week-end when I finally have the time to breath a little. Anyway thank you to everyone who has reviewed, folllowed or favorited this fic so far. You guys are amazing. Katie thank you so much for your constant suport. It really motivates me to keep going. Anyway to everyone reading this... I hope you guys enjoy it.**

**Kisses N.**


	7. Chapter 7

Once it became clear Spencer couldn't argue her house move anymore she grabbed Hanna's hand and dragged her up the stairs back to her bedroom. They both sat on the bed facing each other, much like they used to do when they were away at boarding school together. Being room mates for years had made them thick as thieves.

-'Hanna Marin, what's going on with you and Caleb? And don't you dare blame it on my imagination. You have that look on your face, the one that says "I'm the one that put chewing gum in Jenna's hair while she was sleeping" look. What's up?' Spencer had made a life for herself as a legal consultant and negotiator for the police. She had been the first to walk away from the family business and was soon followed by Jason who picked a career as an Air force officer, only to retire once he'd been promoted to captain.

-'Oh Spence, I'm so glad you're here. I really needed someone to talk to. I can't call Aria because she already took a big risk by helping me escape Akimi. Noel had someone take me away from the island on a boat . Then I had to wear wigs and change clothes several times before I took a plane and got back to the US. I did the same thing twice here before I managed to reach Caleb's office. It was only after he agreed to take my case that I finally managed to get some sleep.' Spencer watched her in shock as she listened to everything Hanna had gone through to get away from Akimi's clutches. 'And to make matters even more complicated I'm sort of crushing on Caleb. I kissed him today'.

-'You did what?' The two women jumped off the bed as they heard Toby's exasperated shout. They exchanged a curious look and silently made their way out of the bedroom and right to the top of the stairs, where they could quietly listen to the conversation between Caleb and Toby

-'I said we accidentally kissed today, right before you and Spencer arrived'. Spencer raised her eyebrow towards Hanna, who blushed and covered her face with her hand. 'We did some training and she slipped and before I knew it she was sitting in my lap and we were kissing'. Caleb groaned as he saw the look his best friend gave him.

-'Oh you poor thing and naturally you must have really disliked it given how flushed you were when you came in the kitchen earlier. You can't tell me that was just because of the training exercises you two did.'.

-'Toby, watch it. She's not Allison and deserves better than for you to judge her this way. She's going through enough already so cut the girl some slack will you?' Caleb froze as he realized he had just admonished his friend for doing the exact same thing as Caleb had done when he first et Hanna; he had also judged her. Once again the similarities and differences between Alison and Hanna weighed on his mind and he settled for a course of action. 'Hanna's cute and has a nice personality, she's hot and sexy and don't look at me that way. I'm not blind. I noticed she looks great, but I'm not willing to dance with one of my clients again. I'm a ship wreck and that girl deserves better. I'm supposed to protect her not sleep with her.'

Toby groaned as he sat in a chair, studying Caleb. He, just like Olivia, had noticed the sparks between Hanna and his best friend. While he agreed that the situation was very dangerous, he really hoped that by the end of it both his friend and Hanna would manage to walk away in one piece.

Hanna silently tried to move Spencer back to the bedroom. They stopped, however, when they heard Caleb speak once again as he took a seat across from Toby at the table.

-'So what's going on with you and Spencer? What did you do to manage to piss her off like this?' Toby watched Caleb with tired eyes, while Caleb felt the need to grab a beer as he spoke to his friend. Sadly they were both still working and no such thing was possible.

-'You mean other than just exist? She hates me for not being the person that she felt she needed. When she lost the baby the doctors had me choose between them. I chose Spencer, thinking we could always try to have another baby, but as I later learned she took that as a sign that I didn't want the baby. Truth be told, when I found out that we were going to have one I had panicked because I honestly thought we weren't ready for it. But once the idea settled in, I wanted the baby just as much as Spencer did'. Caleb sighed as he watched his friend show his broken side, knowing it wasn't something either of them did very often. Hanna gave Spencer a worried glance as Toby finished talking, wondering how his words had affected her friend. Spencer's face was frozen in an emotionless mask, but her hand gripped Hanna's arm in a very painful way, which clearly said a lot about what was going on in her mind.

-'I find it strange that Hanna and I never ran into each other, given the number of shared friends we seem to have.' Caleb used that as an excuse to change the subject and end the uncomfortable silence that had suddenly filled the house.

-'As far as I know, she got involved with Akimi around the same time you married Allison and when Olivia had just left for her year-long internship. As you remember, it was around the same time Spencer and I broke up. But you're right, it is pretty strange that things have turned out this way, given how close Hanna and Spencer are. Speaking of which, why don't you ladies just join us here instead of eavesdropping?' Toby looked directly at the two women as he finished talking. The pair sighed as they had been busted and slowly made their way downstairs, both of them musing over what they'd just heard from their observation point. They made their way to the kitchen table they sat down as Caleb rose and ordered something for the four of them to eat. Once he returned to the table an uncomfortable silence filled the room.

**Hello my lovelies,**

**I have finally managed to get the time and update my stories. I'm sorry it's taken me so much to do so but I probably will manage to update sooner starting next week. Thank you for all your nice thoughts and reviews and for all the support I receive for the fics I write. they were a real ife saver, I went through a couple of depressing few weeks but all of your support has helped me move on through it. I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter and please et me know what you guys think about it? does it answer some of your questions? does it create new ones? Katie I promise you'll find out more about Caleb and Allison's marriage later on in the story. I'm not planning on bringing tornado Allison in Haleb's life for another caouple of chapters. But she will show up. **

**Anyway thank you all for the reviews. I hope to hear soon from you.**

**Nico**


	8. Chapter 8

As the foursome sat at the table, quietly eating their meal, a car's tires were heard outside the house. A frown appeared on Caleb's face as he really hadn't expected more company. He groaned when he saw the person crossing the villa's garden. Spencer, who had been following the direction where his eyes were looking, chuckled.

-'_This really isn't your day, is it?_' Spencer whispered to him because she knew what a difficult person the new guest was. Seeing her walk over to their table definitely made everyone except Hanna stop eating. Toby frowned and Hanna grabbed an water bottle and poured it into her glass emptying it.

-'_Toby did you want some water? Is that why you look so mad at me?_' Hanna watched him as he moved his head slightly. Before he could answer her, Hanna heard a knock at the door. She turned around and watched as Caleb placed his napkin on the table.

-'_I think that you should answer the door before she breaks in. You know she's capable of doing it_'. Toby's cold voice and narrowed eyes surprised Hanna, who turned her head towards Spencer, searching her face for an explanation. Spencer shook her head and mouthed a 'later' to Hanna as a blonde woman entered the kitchen, followed by an visibly irritated Caleb.

-'_Well, darling, when you said you had company I must confess I wasn't expecting to see team 'Spoby' here and that they brought a friend too._' Alison DiLaurentis walked inside and headed straight for the bar. She opened it,but immediately closed it once she noticed, that there were no beverages inside. Alison pursed her lips together and turned her head towards Caleb, who was now standing close to Hanna.

-'_Alison, what do you want? As you can see, we were having dinner and you're interrupting us_'. Hanna placed her napkin on the table and leaned in her chair as she studied the woman in front of her. Judging by the way everyone was reacting she was probably Caleb's famous ex-wife.

-'_Now, now, Caleb is this any way to treat your ex-wife? I only came here to drop off the formal invitations for the charity ball next week. You are coming I presume? With a date? I know that your step-mother is dead set on finding someone to replace me soon so I thought I would give her a hand and bring the invites. Naturally Spencer and Toby are invited as well..._'

Hanna suddenly recalled a period of her teenage years and a light bulb turned on in her head. She remembered Alison always calling her hefty and making fun of her. It was right before she and Spencer had become room mate. Once they started living together, Spencer had helped Hanna move on from Allison's bullying.

-'_As I already told Michelle on the phone, I am coming to the charity ball and as for my date, I'm bringing ..._'

-'_Me. He's bringing me. Isn't that right, baby?_' Hanna turned her head and smiled at Caleb, while Toby tried to keep himself from bursting into laughter at seeing Alison's shocked expression. Spencer quickly picked up on Hanna's idea and smiled softly at her, while Caleb kept his face emotionless.

-'_Alison, I hope that you can forgive Caleb's poor manners for not introducing Hanna, his girlfriend. To be perfectly honest, they surprised us all when they announced that they were dating. Hanna is, after all, my closest friend and she managed to keep it a secret from me_'.

-'_Oh wow, I had no idea you were dating someone. Well in that case, I guess we'll see each other at the party next week. Enjoy your dinner and sorry for interrupting. Goodbye_'. Alison dropped the invites on the kitchen counter and marched out of the house. As soon as she did so Spencer muttered a '_don't let the door hit you on your way out_' before she and Toby started laughing.

Caleb groaned as he turned his head towards Hanna. He wasn't pleased or amused at all by the current turn of events. He also noticed Hanna was tightly gripping his hand, telling him she wasn't ok with what had just happened either.

Once everyone finished dinner, Hanna watched as Spencer, accompanied by Toby, walked to her car. She grumpily handed over her car keys to him and sat in the back while Toby drove the car away. She shook her head as she saw the unhappy look on Spencer's face as the car pulled out of the driveway. Hanna returned to the kitchen to see that Caleb had started clearing u the table.

Hanna started doing the dishes while Caleb finished cleaning the table and kitchen counter. She thought about everything that she had learned about Caleb that day. After she finished washing the last dish she turned around and spotted Caleb leaning on the kitchen counter, studying her.

-'Look Caleb, I'm sorry I put you in an uncomfortable position earlier today. It was not my intention. I don't want things between us to get awkward.' Caleb silenced Hanna by gently pressing his finger to her lips. She raised her eyes to look at him and saw that he was smiling warmly at her.

-'_Relax Hanna. Everything will work out just fine except now we both have to attend this charity ball_'. Hanna turned her head and watched their reflections in the window. As she did so Caleb softly caressed her neck absently while he continued talking. '_My ex wife, as you can probably imagine, has probably started gossiping to her mom about my new "girlfriend" as soon as she left_'.

-'_I know it's not my place to ask you this, but you seem like a very decent guy. Just how on Earth did you end up marrying a woman like Alison? And yes I know who she is and what she's capable of. There was a time in my life when she used to bully me. Say hello to 'hefty Hanna' things changed after I met Spencer._'

-'_After I left the Air Force, I hit the ground for a while. I had seen far too many things while I was an airman. I then met Alison and she seemed so full of light and I got caught up by her flame as quickly as a moth is. At the time I believed she was different so I married her. I ended things with her when I found out that she was cheating on me._'

Caleb walked over to the fridge and took out a pitcher of lemonade. He then took two glasses out of the cupboard and poured some for both of them. Caleb handed Hanna he glass and they walked outside on the porch and watched the garden.

-'_Again, I'm sorry for getting in between the two of you today. It was not my place to do so'. _Hanna avoided Caleb's glance by staring at the garden. She cursed under her breath as she realized she was definitely intrigued by Caleb_._

-'_I'm glad you did. Seeing her expression was pure comedy, but _it's probably best if you are kept away from Alison for now.' Hearing Caleb's words Hanna suddenly felt out of place as she realized she shouldn't have gotten involved between the pair of ex spouses.

-'_I understand. Well I'm off to bed now. It's been a very long and eventful day for me. Have a good night, Caleb_'. Hanna sat her glass down on the outside table and attempted to move to pass Caleb and enter the house.

Caleb cursed himself as he heard Hanna's sudden sad tone of voice. Feeling as though he kicked her puppy, he grabbed her arm and dragged her inside the house, closing the door with his foot. He pulled her back in his arms as Hanna gave a surprised gasp.

Caleb kissed her with passion, his hands kept her body pressed against his and her arms looped around his neck as he pushed her against the wall. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around him, his hand grabbed her ass and kept in place as their lips battle for dominance.

When he finally let go of her both of them were having trouble breathing. Hanna ran her hand through his hair and questioned his actions with her eyes. Caleb gave a small sigh before kissing her neck. He raised his head to look back at Hanna and smiled, a hint of sadness showing in his eyes.

-_'Fucking hell.' _Caleb cursed as he looked into Hanna's baby blue eyes. _'I will assign Jason's team to protect you while I'm going to continue training you. But at this point I'm not foolish enough to risk going down this path. I like you too much and I'm worried that would cloud my judgment and that I won't to be able to keep you safe.'_

-'_Does this mean you're not my bodyguard anymore?_' Hanna's hard breathing was burning Caleb's neck as she spoke, while her heart started beating faster, a faint blush slowly covering her cheeks.

-'S_tarting tomorrow yes, because, like it or not, I'm supposed to take you to that ball, meaning we're apparently dating as of today.'_ Caleb lowered Hanna's legs on the ground keeping her hold still until she was able to stand on her feet. '_I have no more will power to fight this so I'll do my best and see what happens next_. _Also, we need to take you shopping for something appropriate to wear. My step-mom is a very strict lady when it comes to stuff like this. Have a pleasant night, Hanna_.'

Hanna smiled as Caleb led her to her room. He kissed her forehead before heading to his own room across the hall. Smiling, she headed inside her bedroom and sat down on the bed and watched the first few stars appear on the evening sky.

**Hello everyone,**

**I know I'm long overdue with updating this fiction. I had a couple of turn of events in my life that have prevented me from doing so. But the good news is that I have finally found my mojo and also the necessary time to start writing new chapters regularly for both 'Protection' and 'Miss me'. I'll try to update them once a week from now on.**

**Katie this chapter is here because you helped me pass that huge writer's block I had ever since I wrote chapter 7 this summer. The credit for this one belongs to you.**

**To my anon readers It's always good to hear from you as well.**

**To my other anon reader sorry for taking so long to update.**

**Mel2198 I'm not done writing this story yet. But i try to reach it's completion.**

**I'm now taking the time to thank those three person who have voted on the poll I had open on my page. You guys really helped clear out the way that scene will be in this fiction.**

**Also I want to ask those of you that have the time to go to Mel 2198's page and check her multichapter stories. We often complain about the lack of good Haleb writers here on the site. So please just check out her story and let her think what you know. Let's encourage her and other new Haleb writers to come forth and start posting stuff.**

**Kisses, **

**Nico**


	9. Chapter 9

The next day, Olivia woke up to an empty bed. Jason had woken up during the night and carried her to their bed. Jason had woken up during the night and carried her from the couch to their bed. Olivia stretched and headed towards the kitchen. Once inside, she frowned when she saw Jason dressed up in a suit reading the newspaper.

-'Please tell me you are not going to work today when you've just returned home after two months abroad. You're supposed to be on down time. What the hell is going on?' Olivia shivered as she was only dressed in a thin tank top and sleep shorts. She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to generate some warmth. 'Can you please shut the window? It's freezing in here. I get that you need fresh air, but it's too cold. And then tell me why you are dressed up for work.'

Jason sighed as he went to shut the window. He then went to the coffee machine, grabbed Olivia's favorite mug, and poured her some coffee and then set the mug on the table before walking over to Olivia. He grabbed her by the hand and led her to the table.

-'And good morning to you too, baby. Now what do you say we get you something to eat? You can yell at me about work later.' Jason sat at the table and pulled Olivia into his lap. She tried to release herself from his embrace, but he wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing her against his body. 'Liv, stop moving before I lay you on this table and we both skip breakfast for other activities.' Jason whispered in her ear as he kissed her neck, sending goose bumps across her body.

Olivia huffed as she finally settled in a comfortable position on Jason's lap. She averted her eyes from Jason's gaze. She quickly went through their current cases in her mind. The only reason Caleb would make Jason work now would be to protect Hanna but he was already working on that case so why would he...?

-'You've got to be kidding me. You were assigned to protect Hanna. Great, this is just great!' Olivia got up from the table and put her dishes in the sink before turning her head towards Jason, her eyes flashing furiously at him.

Jason sighed as he watched his girlfriend fume at her stepbrother's decision. He understood why she was so concerned about Caleb. When Caleb found out about Allison cheating on him, he developed a drinking problem. Olivia basically forced Caleb to get help as he had definitely been on the road to self-destruction. She had spent entire nights awake, worrying about Caleb.

This was one of the reasons Olivia had nearly died. She had been awake for 48 hours before she was shot. When that incident happened, Caleb had been hung over. To this day Jason can remember yelling at Caleb, telling him his careless behavior could have cost Olivia her life. From that day forward Caleb stopped drinking and dating. He had practically become a monk and Jason sometimes blamed himself for that, but ultimately he knew it was the only way that he had of helping him.

-'Allison paid Caleb a visit last night. My guess is she went to rub in his face the fact that he has yet to find someone after their divorce. But before you get annoyed about Allison you probably should know Spencer took care of this.'

-'Allison? And Spencer? Seriously? What the hell happened?' Olivia grabbed her coffee mug and poured herself another cup. Jason cursed Caleb for putting him in charge of explaining things to Olivia as payback for leaving him to deal with Spencer's wrath the previous day. So much for their loyalty to each other.

-'Spencer told Ali that Caleb is dating Hanna and that they are going to the charity ball together. Baby what are you...? Babe, calm down please. What are you doing?' Jason's pleas fell on deaf ears as Olivia made her way to the bedroom and changed into her work attire. He was silenced as she grabbed her car keys and walked to the front door.

-'Get in the car. You have to get to work and I have to pay my stepbrother a little visit. And so help me, Jason, I can kill just him or I can kill you before I kill Caleb. For your own safety I suggest that you don't say a word to me right now.'

Olivia started the car and began the hour-long drive to Caleb's place. Jason shook his head; guilt covered his face as he realized that both he and Caleb would probably be in for a very long morning. .

On the other side of the town, a hungover Spencer woke up wrapped in Toby's arms. Cursing herself, she made her way inside the bathroom. She started the shower and sat down inside the stall with her head on her knees, letting water wash over her as she cried.

Spencer could still recall all the beautiful memories she and Toby had shared when they were dating. She was traumatized when they lost their baby and took her anger out on Toby. When nothing could fill the emptiness she was feeling inside, she walked away.

Spencer had eventually figured out that Jason was the one who had come up with the idea of moving her to Toby's place. It was precisely for that reason that she had gotten drunk the previous evening, hoping that she would somehow forget her pain.

Halfway through the night she had stumbled across the house into Toby's bed. He was alerted of her presence by the sound of many objects crashing to floor, but more importantly by the way she had drunkenly kissed him and pushed him back on the bed.

Toby had kept her at bay because he knew she would regret her behavior in the morning and much to Spencer's embarrassment, she had fallen asleep while kissing him. Once she finally managed to get her emotions under control, she exited the bathroom only to find Toby waiting for her outside in the hallway, his face an emotionless mask.

-'I understand that you and Jason were trying to fix whatever is going on between us, but I really don't appreciate being lied to. And this was a betrayal from two people I care about deeply. I'm stuck living with you. Fine. But here's the part that you are forgetting. Being my bodyguard means that you can't touch your client and this client has a date tonight so things are definitely going to be oh so fun for both of us.'

Spencer walked away leaving behind a frozen Toby. He counted to 30 before following her, knowing he needed all his concentration if he was to make his stubborn roommate change her mind about him.

Olivia slammed the car door shut before she headed towards the house. She waited impatiently for Jason to unlock the front door before making her way inside. She went up the stairs and flung Caleb's bedroom door wide open, causing him to jolt in his bed.

-'Livy? What's going on? Why are you here?' Caleb turned his head, confused at her sudden presence in his bedroom doorway. He also didn't fail to notice that she was fuming. Glancing towards the clock on his nightstand, he noticed it was early in the morning.

-'Don't you "Livy" me. I'm so mad at you right now I could throw something at your head. What were you thinking, Caleb? Were you even thinking at all? You said you wouldn't go down this road'. Olivia stepped inside Caleb's bedroom, closing the door behind her, while Caleb headed to his bathroom.

Olivia clenched her teeth before following him as far as the bathroom doorway, while Caleb brushed his teeth and washed his face. He turned around and saw Olivia standing there and frowned at her. She crossed her arms against her chest getting ready to argue with him.

-'Olivia, no offence, but do you mind? I want to take a shower.' Caleb sighed and mentally cursed Jason. Sometimes working with his family really was a pain.

-'And I wanted my boyfriend to get a couple of weeks off from work after being away for two months. Well guess what, big brother. Since I don't get what I want neither will you. You want to go down this road again? Be my guest. Just don't expect me to be there to help you pick up the pieces when this thing blows up in your face.'

Olivia left Caleb's room and ran into Hanna, who looked at her with a confused expression. She nodded her head before heading down stairs, leaving a curious Hanna watching after her. As she made her way to the kitchen, she spotted Jason sitting at the table waiting for her.

-'I'm going now. Don't worry, Caleb's alive, but if I want to survive another day I need to go. I'm late for the charity ball meeting with our mothers. See you at home.' Olivia gave Jason a small kiss before she headed out the door and got inside her car.

As Olivia drove away, Hanna made her way inside the kitchen and froze when she noticed Jason was there. Silence fell between the pair. Hanna wondered what Jason thought about everything that was going on, while Jason tried to place Hanna among the long list of acquaintances Allison and Spencer had at boarding school. He was pretty sure she had been mentioned to him before.

Hanna went to the coffee machine and poured herself a cup, grateful Jason had been considerate enough to make some. She had noticed that she and Caleb were both addicted to it. She walked to the table, grabbed an orange and after peeling it, she started eating it. Jason stayed silent, his eyes watching the garden. Caleb finally made his way inside the kitchen and sighed in relief when he noticed that Olivia was no longer there.

-'Jason, my friend, Olivia is one scary woman. Which means you're either really dumb or really brave to be dating her or maybe a little bit of both.' Caleb poured himself a cup of coffee before making joining Jason and Hanna at the table. Jason silently stood up and walked towards the door.

-'Olivia is nowhere near as scary as Spencer is when she hasn't had her coffee. Once Hanna decides where she wants to go today, let me know so that I can make the necessary arrangements'. Jason left the house and started walking through the garden, checking the security measures.

-'Once I decide? Do I need to be somewhere?' Hanna felt confused and turned her head to Caleb, who stole her last bit of orange and ate it. Watching her frown at his antics, he gave her a small grin.

-'I'm taking you shopping for the charity ball. My stepmom is rather strict on protocol for these sorts of things. I also figured you could use some fresh air.' Hanna's face brightened at the idea. She hadn't had a decent shopping spree ever since she had moved into Akimi's house.

Once they both finished their coffee, they changed into comfortable clothes and headed out to the car. Caleb informed Jason of where they had decided to go shopping. While inside the car, Hanna called Spencer on her cell phone and asked her to meet them at the mall and help her pick a dress, reminding her that it was her fault Hanna needed a dress in the first place. Hearing the conversation end with Spencer's agreement to help, both men groaned. Neither felt prepared for the day they had ahead.

**Trick or Treat everybody.**

**I'm treating you with a new chapter, so let me know what you guys think.**

**Emma thank you for your review on the previous chapter.**

**Anon, do you have a name? even a fake one would do as I want to thank you for all the reviews you always give and all the support. You left me a very kind review on the previous chapter, but to answer your question my beta inspired me to continue writing this fic. I was discussing my blockage with her and got inspired on how to move on. Abou the winter Ball question? I was planning of writing a scene involving a dance ever since I started writing this fic last summer.**

**Now I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think about it. **

**Nico**


	10. Chapter 10

Spencer left her bedroom after dressing up and talking to Hanna on the phone. She headed towards Toby's office, searching for him. Seeing him sitting comfortably on the couch reading a book made her feel fuzzy inside as she remembered a lot of their old quirks.

-'_Toby? We need to go out. Hanna made me promise I would go help her pick out a new dress for the charity ball that Caleb is taking her to next week and she's already on her way to the mall. Caleb and Jason are with her._'

Toby gave her a small nod before putting his book down on his desk. He then headed towards the door and they both walked out of the house. Once inside the car Spencer turned the radio to a classical music station, unwilling to say a word to Toby unless it was absolutely necessary.

Making their way inside the mall the pair soon found Hanna and Caleb standing near a fountain while Jason kept his distance from them, his eyes constantly scanning the building. Spencer gave her brother a small hug before joining Hanna and Caleb while Toby went to Jason's side, focused on his job as well.

The girls walked inside the first dress shop they could find, dragging Caleb with them, while both Toby and Jason sighed in relief at not having to actually be a part of the decision process. They both burst out laughing as they watched Caleb hold more than 20 dresses. Laughter soon stopped as they realized Hanna was planning on trying them all on.

-'_Well, Han, we have picked some options for you. Just go try them on and let's see how they fit_.' Spencer motioned for Hanna to enter the changing room, while she and Caleb took a seat right outside the room and waited for her. Caleb soon felt a headache coming his way. All the dresses fit Hanna's skinny body perfectly, but none of them had that special something.

Caleb chewed his lower lip in annoyance as he saw that most of the dresses fit Hanna, but they weren't her style. Suddenly his eyes fell on a black dress that had red roses sewn on it in the back of the shop. Nudging Spencer he showed her the dress. Spencer's eyes gleamed as she saw the dress.

-'J_ust for the record, I doubt she'll agree to try it on, but this dress is perfect._' Spencer whispered to him. Hanna walked out of the dressing room once more; the dress she was currently wearing was too short for her taste. Caleb went over to the black dress, took it off the rack, and after he checked for the size he now knew Hanna wore, he returned to the dressing room area.

-'_Hanna there's only one more dress that you should try. If it doesn't fit, we'll just go to another store and search okay_?' Caleb moved the curtain slightly and handed the dress to Hanna. Taking his seat next to Spencer once more, he slowly mouthed to her.

-'_Do all of your shopping sprees always end up like this? Trying on 20 outfits and picking only one_?' Spencer grinned at him. She could see how bored he was at the idea of going through an entire day like this.

-'_You're forgetting that she needs more than a dress. There's also shoes and purses and make-up and... Oh, Hanna. This dress looks just..._' Spencer and Caleb turned their head once more to Hanna as she opened the dressing room curtain.

-'_Perfect._' Caleb felt air leave his lungs as he watched Hanna shyly walk out of the dressing room. She held the dress up some so that she would not trip over it, as it was clear it reached the floor and that Hanna would need high heels to wear it. But she looked amazing. The dress had thin straps, a plunging V neckline, and zipped in the back, baring her shoulders. A pattern of roses started beneath her left breast, encircling her waist and going further down towards the bottom of the dress. .

-'_I really like the way it makes me look taller, but also skinnier._' Hanna twirled in front of them carefully so that they'd get a better look. Spencer nodded her head in approval as Caleb stared at her, completely in awe of her beauty.

-'_Ok. Then we're buying it. Go change and then we can go get some gorgeous shoes to match the dress. What do you say? Ah you should also thank Caleb. He was the one that picked out the dress for you._' Hanna's cheeks flushed red as Caleb shifted his feet.

-'_I'll go tell Toby and Jason we found the dress and that we're going to the shoe department next_.' Spencer nodded her head while Hanna returned inside the dressing room and changed back into her regular clothes.

The two women made their way to the counter and tried to pay for the dress only to learn that Caleb did so already. Spencer gave Hanna an intrigued look as they made their way to the three men waiting for them outside the shop. Glancing around, Spencer noticed Olivia sitting in a small cafe booth across the mall. She turned on her heels and mentioned it to Jason.

-'_So did you and Olivia get into a fight about something? Why is she sitting all alone at the table instead of being here with us?_' Jason turned his head, surprised to hear that Olivia was there. She was supposed to head back to the office headquarters once she was done meeting their mothers. Caleb noticed Olivia's presence as well, his eyebrow furrowed while Hanna motioned for them to go join Olivia.

Olivia was barely paying attention to her surrounding as she typed something on her laptop. Sometimes when they brought in new clients she would create 'coincidence' timelines. She made a hobby of paying attention to people 'popping up' into her clients' lives or and the potential targets. Usually if something made her feel uneasy it meant trouble.

As she raised her head from her laptop she noticed the five people heading her way. Smiling, she made a gesture signaling Jason to get her another cup of coffee. As they entered the small cafe she rose from her seat and waited for them to come over to her table. Closing her laptop and putting it in her bag, she walked over to Jason, who absentmindedly held onto her coffee.

Grabbing her coffee from his hand, she gave him a small kiss on the cheek before she turned to say hello to the other people in the cafe. Hanna, who had just ordered herself a latte, turned to face Olivia a little too suddenly, knocking her cup of coffee from her hand.

-'_Olivia, oh God. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to._' Hanna flustered while Olivia literally pulled her shirt away from her body to avoid any burns. '_Here let me help you_.' Hanna dragged Olivia away from the group into the first clothing store she came to and picked out a shirt for her. Jason followed them, his eyes surveying the two women's surroundings, while the store sales clerk watched the two women in interest.

-_'Hanna, it's ok. It was just an accident. I didn't get hurt. Stop freaking out, ok?'_ Olivia clearly felt out of place seeing Hanna fuss over her. Realizing that she wouldn't stop acting that way until she changed her clothes, Olivia sighed and followed Hanna to the bathroom.

Jason followed the two women, his own coffee in hand, clearly amused by the small turn of events. As the pair emerged from the restroom he motioned for Olivia to take his coffee. Olivia grabbed it and managed to say thank you before someone else exited the bathroom, knocking Hanna into Olivia, resulting in a second coffee-ruined shirt.

Seeing Hanna's horrified expression, Olivia sighed and motioned for them to head to the store a second time. Jason had turned his head away, a small grin appearing on his face. The girls made their way inside the store where the store clerk watched them with unhidden interest as they bought another shirt for Olivia.

After changing once again, the trio headed back to the small cafe shop where their friends were waiting. To everyone's great amusement and Olivia's chagrin, as she made her way inside to grab a bottle of water, the barista working there lost her footing and spilled an iced coffee on Olivia, resulting in her third ruined shirt. .

-'_Not one word from any of you or I swear to God, heads are gonna roll. Jason, give me your coat so I can cover up this stain. Lord knows I am not buying another shirt. Are you guys done shopping? Yes? Good. Then I suggest we return to the house. I need to talk to the three of you_'. Olivia used her 'don't argue with me' voice, and the three men understood something was up. .

They made their way to their cars and Hanna stopped as Caleb opened the car door for her. Her nose stiffened as she sneezed several times. Spencer noticed this and made everyone step away from the cars. Placing herself on the ground, she noticed a package had been set right beneath Caleb's car.

-'_Guys? I think there's a bomb under the car. Someone get the police to handle it_'. Jason and Olivia turned to stare at her while Hanna continued sneezing. Toby used his phone to call the police and Caleb studied the two women in front of him. .

-'_Can either of you explain what's going on to me? Why did Toby need to call the cops? Why are you so sure that's a bomb?_' Hanna turned her head to face Caleb and gave him a weak smile.

-'_I hardly ever sneeze and when I do, usually TNT is involved. I'm allergic to the stuff, something Spencer and I learned when we were in high school together._' As the police arrived at the scene, they were all asked to evacuate the area. The package was removed and to Caleb's surprise, it was indeed a bomb that had been planted beneath the car while they had been shopping inside the mall.

-'_So my guess is that you're going to be one of those cases where we will all have to go to sleep armed? This guy really wants you dead._' Olivia put her arm around Hanna's back in a comforting gesture. '_Don't worry. We'll get you to safety. This guy has people who know what they're doing but so do we. We don't let our clients die, Hanna. So breathe_.'

Olivia pursed her lips together, her mind going over the notes she had taken on her laptop earlier that day. If nothing else the bomb that had been placed under Caleb's car had further proved the theory that she had started to have inside her head.

Olivia shook her head as her eyes passed the people in her group that were now being questioned by the police. If her suspicions were right, then the person behind this particular attack was closer to them than they'd thought, carefully covering their steps. That person was smart but Olivia knew she had several smart people on her side working to sort this out as well.

For now, getting Hanna back to safety seemed like the best idea and then she would tell Caleb her theory. She hoped she was wrong for his sake and everyone else involved in this equation, but if she were right then Olivia would finally have a legit reason to go after that person.

**Hello everyone. I managed to update Protection today as well.**

**Anon sorry for the delay into updating. I hope you continue to enjoy my stories.**

**Liss I hope you like the shopping scene. ;)**

**So I'm about to give you guys an inside scoop. When I first started this story I was planning for it to have 10 chapters at most. But all of your support and reviews have made me decide to continue developing it to the point where I don't know how many chapters it will have.**

**Also when I reached chapter 6 I got such a huge writer's block I nearly stopped writing this story down and wanted to delete it. You can thank my wonderful beta Katie and Serene Calamity's stories for helping me get my mojo back. Well i hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well so read and tell me what you think.**

**Nico**


	11. Chapter 11

Detective Gabriel Holbrook made his way to the LA mall where he and his team had been notified of a potential bomb. He really hoped it was just a joke as he really wasn't in the mood to have the feds breathing down his neck on a Saturday morning. However, if someone had played a prank, he would make sure they would get a very long community service sentence under his supervision.

As he entered the parking lot and saw the group gathered near the cars, he groaned. He knew Caleb and Jason and what field they were working in. If they were there then things were definitely complicated.

-'_Caleb Rivers, as much as I love to see you, I hope you can help clear up what's going on here?_' Holbrook nodded towards the teams around them. Toby stepped in to answer him. Hanna shifted on her legs, being uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting, and Spencer warned Jason of the fact that the media had learned what was going on and that they were starting to arrive at the scene as well.

-'_One of our clients needed to do some shopping today and when we returned to the car this package was waiting beneath it so we called the police and let them handle the situation._' When they had started their company Jason and Caleb had established some golden rules for their staff members to follow: always cooperate with the police and never do anything illegal while protecting somebody.

-'_Ok, so how did that happen? Did any of you notice anything strange? What happened here?_' Holbrook raised one of his eyebrows, studying the scene in front of them, while he gestured for somebody to make sure the media didn't get on the scene.

-'_Spencer Hastings stopped us from getting in the car. She then looked beneath it and told us to call you guys because there was a bomb there._' Spencer took a step forward and continued the story from Toby.

-'_Hanna and I went to high school together and were roommates for years. She's allergic to TNT. When she started sneezing something clicked in my mind so I asked everyone to step away from the car. It was only a hunch but once I saw something lying beneath the car I knew it was probably worth calling the police.'_

-'_I see. So obviously the client you are currently protecting has an enemy powerful enough to go to such great extremes to finish her off. Is there any chance any of you will tell me who that enemy is?_ ' Hanna kept her mouth shut. She couldn't blame Akimi without some serious evidence and even then he still had connections to cover his tracks.

-'_Gabe, we'll make sure to send you a list of possible suspects. We have some ideas as to who could be behind this but we don't want to make any accusations without concrete proof to back it up._' Olivia spoke softly as Detective Holbrook studied the scene once more. '_Do you still need us here? I'd rather we kept these ladies as low profile as possible. Press covering this case won't help_.'

-'_You're all free to go. If any of you remembers anything new or if we have questions I know how to find you._' The group then headed to their cars and made their way back to Caleb's place.

Once they reached the house Spencer and Hanna went upstairs to Hanna's bedroom while everyone else gathered inside Caleb's office. Olivia sat down on the couch and opened her laptop, ready to tell Caleb her theory, while the three men exchanged worried looks. Annoyed Olivia could be a very scary woman. .

-'_Okay Han, what's going on? Caleb paid for your dress at the store. Why? Did something happen between the two of you after we left here yesterday? And why is Jason here? Shouldn't you be under Caleb's watch?_'

-'_Caleb reassigned me to be protected by Jason's team instead of his. We're trying to figure out what's going on between us. Clearly we're attracted to each other, but we both have skeletons in our closets. For now, we're going to take things slow and try to see where we go from here. He's taking me to the charity ball as his fake girlfriend. Spence, I'm really, really falling for this guy_.'

Hanna mumbled her answers from the bed while Spencer sat on the window seat and looked out. Spencer shook her head before she turned to face Hanna. Hanna studied her friend and gave her the 'what did you do now?' look. Spencer was clearly guilty of doing something with Toby, but what?

-'_Spencer did you by any chance sleep with Toby last night? What did you do? It can't be worse than me gluing Allison's lips together right before the Ice Ball during our senior year. What's up?_'

-'_Wait... What? That was you? How the hell did you do it? You..._' Spencer watched her friend, amazed at how much she had clearly underestimated her prankster side. Hanna's eyes narrowed as she watched Spencer.

-'_Spencer Jill Hastings, stop stalling!_' Hanna grabbed her pillow from the bed and threw it at Spencer's head, missing it by an inch. Spencer picked up the pillow from the floor and sighed into it.

-'_I got drunk last night after I finished work and then I went to Toby's room and started hitting on him. He rejected me but I slept the night in his bed. Wanna talk about closet skeletons? Mine are bigger than yours, but still, how the hell did you glue Allison's lips together?_'

-'_Well it was right before you and I became roommates. Allison would constantly enter my room and use my favorite gloss without permission. I actually kept it inside my nightstand so that maybe she would take a hint, but she didn't so when the Ice Ball came I poured glue in my gloss tube and left it in my nightstand. As you can imagine Allison used it and the rest is history. She never touched my gloss again..._'

Spencer chuckled slightly and then burst into full-on laughter, joined by Hanna. Soon both of them were on the floor laughing as they remembered the way Allison's lips looked like a duck's for two weeks after the party. Granted Allison had soon started to tease Hanna about her weight, but once Spencer moved in with Hanna everything changed.

Downstairs things were definitely looking grim for the security team gathered inside Caleb's office. Jason shifted on his feet as Toby took a seat on the couch, working on his laptop as well, while Caleb phoned Luke and asked him to join them via phone conference to discuss the new turn of events.

-'_OK people, what exactly isn't working here? So far Akimi found out Hanna's location, we had a sniper in our backyard, and a bomb planted beneath our car in the past 48 hours. Are we facing a mole leak?_ '

Caleb's voice was angry while everyone in the room agreed with his words. Olivia turned her head to face Caleb. She glanced towards Jason before she finally started sharing her thoughts. She knew she had to choose her words carefully as this was a sensitive subject.

-'_Actually I think this is a little more complicated than that. I mean we were expecting for Akimi to figure out where Hanna was almost immediately. That's why you moved her here. Remember? So I'm guessing that the sniper was just doing rounds trying to figure out how tight our security really is. As for who planted the bomb, I think the question we should ask is when? And more importantly how did they do it? There are security cameras all over the mall._'

-'_Which means that whoever put the bomb there probably used the blind spots to do it. But that leaves the question of when they did it Clearly it was sometime after Spencer and I arrived at the mall because everyone else was inside the building already._'

Toby's voice was calm, but his emotions weren't as he was worried about the way the day could've ended for everyone, not just him and Spencer. 'More importantly, just how did they know when you guys would leave the house? It's not like you had a sign hanging outside the house telling people you were off shopping.' He continued speaking while Jason studied Olivia very carefully.

-'_I think I have an answer for that. Before you guys met me at the cafe I was doing one of my coincidence timelines. And something didn't add up. I thought it was nothing until we found out about the bomb, but before I share my theory with the rest of the class I need for you guys to promise me you won't freak out about it._'

Jason froze in his spot as Caleb leaned in his chair. Whenever Olivia used that phrase it meant something was definitely up. Caleb glanced over at Jason before he nodded for Olivia to continue, although he already had a suspicion as well. He just wanted to see if Olivia had the same thought.

-'_As I did the timeline I tried to analyze the people who have come back into Hanna's life these past few days. Spencer's reunion with her was to be expected given their history. And given Spencer's connection to Toby and Jason, Hanna's reunion with them was also to be expected. The one person that doesn't really fit the pattern is..._'

-'_Allison_.' Jason shrugged his shoulder as everyone turned to look at him. '_Oh come on. My sister goes missing for two years and the first thing she does is help my mom send out invitations to a charity ball? Allison and charity? My guess is that she used the opportunity to bug this place when she came here yesterday. And you and Hanna did discuss your plans in the kitchen today, which clears up the whole 'how do they know of our schedule' question._'

Caleb got up from his seat, his eyes burning in anger as he headed to the mini bar Allison opened yesterday. Sure enough there was a bug planted inside it. He quickly gestured for Jason to come check the area as he headed out of the building to clear his head.

Olivia rested her head against the couch, staring at the ceiling, a million questions running through her head. Toby typed furiously on his keyboard while Jason discussed things over with Luke over the phone.

Soon enough Spencer made her way downstairs to get Toby and head home as she had her evening date to get to. Hanna had fallen asleep so she had let her rest. Olivia headed outside to join Caleb in the garden while Jason continued checking the house for more bugs.

**Hello everyone thank you for all of your amazing reviews.**

**Liss, I'm glad you found that scene to be funny. It was a bit of a challenge for me to write because i'm clueless about fashion and about terms used to described clothes and accessories. My beta saved me with that. We had some very intriguing "low back, no back, strings and zippers" details to be discussed and they will all make sense in the next chapter.**

**Safrena, I can not express how much joy your review has brought me. I wanted to make this chapter seem light to you guys, but I also wanted to remind everyone that this fiction has this title for a reason.**

**Massroyalties, thank you for you review. This is exactly the type of reaction I was aiming to get from my readers.**

**Katie, as much as I loved writing the coffee incidents i don't think I'll write a scene where Haleb goes clothes shopping anytime soon, if ever again. This one really fried my brains.**

**Pigua89 as much as i would like to know who you believe is behind the attacks and the bomb I doubt any of you is prepared for who put the bomb there. I'm glad you like the way I am writing Caleb and Hanna in this fiction. There is a sweet dance scene coming up in next chapter between Haleb.**

**Now I want to thank you all for taking the time into reviewing Protection. Sadly the lack of response I have gotten lately over the stories I write has really made me question if once i finish the fictions I'm working on now I will post a new one. I am seriously considering to stop writing. If you think i shouldn't do that then please read and review as well. Your opinions and questions motivate me better than anything else.**

**Nico.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Helllo lovelies,**

**Did you miss me? Or this fiction? First of all I would like to say thank you for all the support you guys have shown over the past few chapters. Now I****'ll try and answer your questions.**

**Anon 1. If you thought Ali bugging the house was wow then you'll be shocked by what comes up two chapters from now.**

**Anon. 2. Thank you for your message. It was really appreciated. Don't worry we'll see more of Allison in this story. She still has that promised date with the frying pan coming.**

**Safrena thank you for all of the reviews you have given my stories lately. They mean a lot. P.s. I don't like Allison in the show at all either.**

**Liss i'm not sure if Hollbrock will return in this story, much less of making him flirt with Hanna, but I'll try to see if I can make him fit the storyline again.**

**SereneCalamity, thank you for taking the time to both review this story but also giving it a shout out to your readers, as a reader it doesn't get better than having your favorite author do something like that for you. About Gabe? Well I needed a cop to show up at the bomb scene and it was either him or Tanner, alas I preferred the eye candy :))**

**Pigua89, there's a lot happening in the charity thing. Especially in the next chapter. I\ll explain it in one word Dramedy, lot's of it and probably some shocking scenes.**

**Katie, thank you for reviewing. The lip gloss part will be explained further down the road and it really is priceless/**

**Atramea, grazzie mille cara per votare e perche mi'ai lasciato questa bella recensione. Mi ano mancate le tue recensioni. Bacci. **

**Princessyb, thank you for taking the time to read this story,after SereneCalamity sent you here. New readers and new reviewers are always most welcome.**

**So lovelies I hope you guys like this new chapter and after you are done reading hit the small review button and let me know what you think.**

**Also there's a new poll on my profile, you guys get to decide which one of my stories will be updated next so make sure o vote as well.**

**Nico**

Hanna sighed as she walked into her bedroom after taking a shower and fixing her hair and makeup. The past couple of days had been chaotic. Jason had literally been around her 24/7 while Caleb had spent his time divided between his office and home. Olivia had put Hanna through some very serious martial arts training and Caleb would often join them once he finished work. Hanna noticed that everyone was really tense after that trip to the mall.

No one told her anything else about the bomb situation and Hanna worried that it could happen again, but this time her friends would be the targets. She also felt confused as to when said bomb was put under the car. Granted Akimi's team was good at keeping tabs on people, but they had no idea she would be at the mall on that day. So how did they get that information? Hanna took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She had spent the past few days being terrified of what Akimi was capable of doing.

Unfortunately not even Caleb's presence down the hall had managed to help her relax. She had barely slept at night, tossing and turning, worrying about everything. She put on the dress that Caleb had chosen for her and tried to zip it up, but the zipper unfortunately got stuck. Sighing, Hanna made her way across the hall and knocked on Caleb's door.

Once she heard him tell her to enter the room, she opened the door and stopped in the doorway. Caleb was in the process of dressing up as well. His tie lay on the bed as Caleb finished buttoning his shirt. He stopped when he saw Hanna standing in the doorway. He raised his eyebrow, questioning her, as she silently took a few steps into the room.

-'My zipper is stuck and I can't fix it_. Do you mind helping me with _it_?_' Hanna turned her back to him, thankful that she had decided to wear her hair up. She didn't have to worry about it getting stuck in the zipper this way. Caleb's hand rested on her waist as he zipped her dress, sending goose bumps down Hanna's arms. He leaned in and kissed her neck softly, making her blush.

-'_Don't _put_ your hair up when you're around me._' Hanna turned around to face him, a small wicked gleam in her eyes.

-'_And why not?_' She answered him teasingly, kicking herself over the fact that her words were slightly shaky. Her breath caught in her throat as Caleb took a step forward and pulled her into his arms. He placed a long kiss on her mouth, keeping her body in place and controlling their kiss, making Hanna's legs feel like jelly. When he finally released her, both of them had trouble breathing but it was Caleb's answer that managed to leave Hanna speechless.

-'_Because when we make love I want to be able to run my fingers through it._' Hanna gave a nervous chuckle, releasing herself from his embrace. She walked out the door and closed it behind her, being perfectly aware that Caleb's eyes were following her as she walked away. Making her way inside her room Hanna closed her door and sat at her vanity table, trying to calm herself down. Caleb had definitely made her think about stuff she shouldn't and now Hanna dreaded the night ahead of her as she literally had no idea what to expect from her date.

Finally, Hanna made her way downstairs where Caleb was waiting for her. Jason and Olivia had both taken the night off as they were also attending the ball. Caleb looked at her as she descended the stairs, a wicked glint appearing in his eyes. Hanna noticed it and suddenly became embarrassed and irritated. She lifted her head towards him, a defiant look on her face, while Caleb grinned at her.

-'_I honestly thought I actually managed to scare you into not coming to the ball_.' Caleb helped Hanna put on her coat as she huffed at him, silently jabbing him in his ribs. She turned around to face him and Caleb's grin widened at seeing the fire burn in her eyes.

-'_Contrary to what you believe you know about me, Mr. Rivers, I don't run away from difficulties._' Caleb chuckled when he hear her talk. He leaned in and pressed another kiss on her lips.

-'_We're back to _using last_ names, I see. Well, Miss Marin, don't forget to save me a dance_.' He then opened the door and gently led Hanna to the car. Opening the passenger side door, Caleb waited for her to get in, but Hanna spun around on her heels, grabbed him by his tie, and brought him in for a kiss that ended up with her being pressed against the car.

Finally releasing her, Caleb placed his hands on the car, keeping Hanna trapped near the open door. His eyes darkened as he saw her coyly bite her bottom lip. He gave her a small grin in response, which only increased when he heard what she had to say to him.

-'_I was planning to save all my dances for you but since you only want one I suppose I'll have to find myself other dance partners, right?_' Caleb growled as he released her and walked over to the other side of the car. Hanna sat in the passenger seat, a small smile playing on her lips as Caleb started the car and drove away.

Once they reached the restaurant where the charity ball was being held, Caleb offered Hanna his hand and they made their way to the entrance. Surprised gasps could be heard from the paparazzi standing outside the building as they recognized Hanna. She made no comment as they started asking questions and kept her eyes straight ahead and continued holding onto Caleb's arm as tightly as she could. Once they were inside the building she sighed in relief.

-'_I hated going to events like this as a child. I would always end up being surrounded by too much unwanted attention. It's probably the only thing I don't regret about my ex. At _least_ he wanted to keep me away from the press at all time._'

Caleb's jaw clenched as he heard Hanna's words. Over the years he had had clients that needed protection from the media and he knew how pushy they could be when it came to getting that picture perfect. Taking Hanna by the hand he led her inside the room, his eyes scanning it for one of his friends or his family members.

-'_Hanna, Caleb. Hey _how_ are you guys doing?_' Spencer walked to them, followed by Toby and a pair of young people. Once Hanna realized who they were she rushed over and hugged the petite brunette woman standing in front of her.

-'_Aria it is so wonderful to see you! I had no idea you would be here tonight. It is good to see you again Noel._' Hanna hugged Noel as well, one of her hands staying on top of Aria's. '_I owe you both so much. I never would have been able to get away from Akimi if it weren't for you guys_.'

-'_It was the right thing to do._' Aria was a very bubbly person who seemed to be the opposite of the more calm and silent Noel. He shifted on his feet, clearly feeling uncomfortable at hearing Hanna express her gratitude. He was saved from it when his wife turned her attention to Caleb. '_Hello Caleb it is wonderful to see you again. I understand you are Hanna's date tonight?_' Aria looked at Hanna amused while Hanna groaned and turned to Spencer.

-'_Seriously, Spence? You told her?_' It was a well-known fact among the three friends that Aria was a hopeless romantic, always hell bent on playing matchmaker. Noel shook his head slightly when he noticed his wife's expression and grabbing her elbow he took her away from the group, quietly muttering something about them needing to find their table.

Hanna sighed in relief as Caleb observed her interacting with her friends. Over the past few days, Toby had kept Spencer away from the house as a precaution and Caleb hadn't really gotten the chance to really see Hanna be so carefree.

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Olivia and Jason enter the restaurant. Caleb felt surprised by the fact that they arrived later than he did. Usually Olivia would be amongst the first to arrive and the last to leave. Watching his stepsister closely, he noticed she seemed a little tired. He figured it was all due to her working with his stepmom and his ex mother- in-law all week preparing for the ball.

Before he could utter a word, he heard a loud "_Caleb, Olivia_." Olivia threw him a sympathetic look, knowing they were both in for it. Rochelle Rivers made her way in front of the group and hugged her daughter and her stepson while her husband Jamie walked over to them as well.

-'_I'm so glad you could join us tonight, Caleb. Olivia mentioned you were bringing _a date.' Hanna kept her silence, studying the woman in front of her. Rochelle made her feel small and for some reason when she turned her face to study Hanna's, Hanna felt as if she was going through the whole 'meet the parents' routine.

-'_Dad, Rochelle this is Hanna Marin, my girlfriend. Hanna this is _my dad Jamie and my stepmom Rochelle.' Caleb made sure to wrap his arm around Hanna's waist, knowing Rochelle would definitely notice if anything was up in the cover story. Hanna smiled at Caleb's parents, while Toby and Spencer excused themselves and left the others to have a small family reunion.

Olivia smiled bemusedly, watching Caleb squirm under her mom's gaze. She however became less cheerful when said mom turned to face her and Jason and they were suddenly the ones under attack.

-'_Olivia Matheson, what is wrong with you? Why are you so skinny? Is Jason not treating you well? Don't you know men prefer women who actually have flesh on their bones? I swear _you look skinnier and skinnier every time I see you_.' _

-'_Mother. Enough. Jason is treating me right. I just had a busy couple of weeks. I think we should all get to our _tables_ and stop blocking other people's way inside. And I think you should head over to the mini bar _area_. Mrs. DiLaurentis looks like she's about to make a scene._'

Rochelle turned on her heels when she heard what Olivia told her, making her way towards Jason's mother. Jason sighed and took Olivia's hands.

-'_Come on kitten. Let's not have our _mothers destroy _your work by causing a scene._' Olivia nodded her head and followed him, leaving only Jamie with Hanna and Caleb. Jamie had studied the girl his son claimed was his girlfriend but he said nothing in front of his wife.

-'_I take it you are one of my children's new cases? I was one of your father's associates over the years Miss Marin. I am well aware you were engaged until recently and with whom. Suffice to say it's best if my wife doesn't hear about _this_ for a long time to come._' Caleb gave his dad an incredulous look after hearing him speak. Jamie stared right back at him and gave him a small grin. '_Honestly, you kids need to give me some credit. I'm not a complete moron. Hanna, perhaps it would be best if you took a seat at the table with your friends?_'

Something about the way Jamie spoke made Hanna aware that things were probably in a rocky place for Caleb and his dad. She shook her head and refused to do as Jamie suggested.

-'_No offence, but the only reason I would walk away from you two is to pee and I'd rather do that here than leave you two alone_.' As the two men watched each other shocked chuckles escaped Jamie's lips. He noticed, however, the way Caleb's hands caressed Hanna's body and realized that they were probably on their way to really becoming a couple.

-'_Classy girl._' His amused voice forced Caleb to turn his head away from watching Hanna. He then answered his dad with a small grin playing on his lips.

-'I'm so_ proud._' And Caleb truly felt proud to see Hanna come alive in front of his eyes. She was no longer the faded woman she was when she first walked inside his office, her will becoming stronger with each passing moment. Jamie led the two to the family table where Olivia's twin brother Luke and his wife Remy were already waiting.

**So what did you guys think? About the kissing part and also the one where Hanna met her friends and Caleb****'s family? Sadly we won't see much of Jamie and Rochelle in the next chapters, which is why I had to tip in that classic scene between Jamie and Haleb.**

**Kisses,**

**Nico**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello lovelies, **

**I hope you guys had fun reading this chapter because I had fun writing it. Now let****'s answer some of your questions.**

**Safrena, Babe thank you for the review. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one as well.**

**SereneCalamity, thank you so much for the review, hot scenes are not my forte but i'll try to keep them coming. PS if Olivia's in one of my stories than Jason clearly isn't a douche.**

**Anon 1. How should I answer it politely? If you didn't like the way I wrote Noel and Ezra so far you are going to hate me when I'll update the next chapter.**

**Liss, love thank you XO**

**Pigua, I'm excited about the new episodes too. We have to wait only 7 more days until the special. Allison is somewhat a bitch in this story and you'll see more of it in the next few chapters. Noel is a person that keeps to themselves type in this fiction and also a good guy so don't worry about him.**

**Atramea, ciao cara, grazzie mille per la recenzione, spero che ti piace anche questo nuovo capitulo.**

**Pllover13 i recently wrote some Spoby related scene that will make you happy. Stay tuned. **

**Pandasrcool22, thank you for reviewing.**

**I'll leave you guys to enjoy this chapter now. Have fun reading.**

-"_Caleb, thank God you made it. Mom has been terrorizing us ever since we set foot here. And you must be Hanna. Hello I'm Luke Matheson, Olivia and Caleb's brother, and this is Remy, my wife_."

Luke was a tall, strong, built young man. He had the same eyes as his sister and the same hair color, but his hair's curls were something Hanna could see he had clearly inherited from their mother. .

-"_Hello it's a pleasure to meet you._" Luke smiled as he moved aside, allowing Caleb to pull Hanna's chair out for her. As they took a seat an irritated Olivia showed up at the table. She sat down in one of the empty chairs and sighed in relief. Jason appeared to be nowhere in sight.

-"_So Liv what number are you _up to_ now?_" Luke asked his sister, his voice filled with amusement as Hanna raised her eyebrows in surprise. She turned her head to Caleb who explained the inside joke to her.

-"_Every time our family throws a party Olivia gets dragged into planning the event. Each time it happens she threatens to kill both Luke and I if we leave her to go through it _alone so_ she's actually counting _how many ways she can kill us_, aren't you sis?_"

Caleb grinned at Olivia, who had poured herself a glass of wine and then proceeded to mumble something about Caleb and Luke soon being unable to have kids. Luke took a sip from his glass of wine and chuckled at his sister.

-"_You don't mean that Liv. I mean think about it. If you neuter both Caleb and _me_ then you'll be stuck with facing mom's constant complaining about _the _lack of grandchildren._" Olivia gave them both the middle finger, causing everyone at the table to laugh.

-"_423\. And this time I stayed focused on TMU. _" Both Hanna and Remy exchanged a surprised look as even the two men seemed at a loss about that abbreviation. Caleb cleared his throat before turning to ask her what she meant. "_ TMU as in The Mothers Unit._"

-"_We should all start using it as code name._" Jason took a seat next to Olivia at the table. Once he did so, she leaned into him and gave him a small kiss on the lips. Jason wrapped his arm carefully around her before turning his eyes to the rest of the occupants at the table.

-"_So it's just the six of us at the table?_" He looked down at Olivia's hand resting on his thigh before he studied the way the ballroom was arranged.

-"_Just be grateful about it. _We could_ have ended up staying at the same table with your sister and her date._" Olivia mumbled under her breath as Jason raised his eyebrows, confused.

-"_Are you angry at Spencer? Why should sitting at the same table be a problem?_"

-"_ God Jas, I was talking about Allison._ Speak_ of the devil. _You_ wont believe who her date is._" As Olivia said that everyone at the table turned their heads towards the door where Allison had just arrived.

Hanna felt the air leave her lungs as she took in Allison's date. Panic filled her entire being until Caleb's hand grabbed hers. She turned her head to face him and he gave her a small, encouraging smile.

-"_I'm right here with you so don't worry about this. He can't hurt you anymore._" Caleb then turned his head to Jason and gave him a small nod of his head. Jason leaned back in his chair and waited for his sister to come say hello.

Remy watched everyone at the table, not understanding why they were all suddenly so tense. Luke pressed his lips to her head in a small reassuring gesture as Olivia took a sip of wine from her glass. Soon enough Allison, having said hello to her mother and Rochelle Rivers, arrived at the table, a small triumphant smile playing on her lips.

-"_Hello everyone. How are you all doing? This is Zack Akimi, my date for the evening._" Hanna felt herself shake as she took in her ex's presence near her at the table. She started shaking slightly as he studied her with a satisfied look on his face.

-"_Darling, these charming people here are Jason, my brother, and his girlfriend Olivia. Over here you have Luke, Olivia's twin brother, and his wife Remy and last _but _not least _this is_ Caleb, my ex-husband, and Hanna, was it? I'm terrible at names, sorry._"

-"_ You don't have to worry about introducing us. Hanna and I go way back and we know each other rather intimately, don't we Hanna?_" Allison watched Akimi with a calculated look on her face. She was very intrigued about the scene unfolding in front of her.

-"_You are right, _Akimi_. We do know each other intimately as you so politely have implied, but I'm afraid it's nowhere near as intimate as Caleb and I know each other. Isn't _that right_, babe?_" Hanna smiled sweetly at Caleb while Akimi's cheeks reddened. Allison looked as if she had been slapped.

Olivia bit her lip to stop herself from laughing as Jason grabbed his glass and took a sip. Remy watched Allison's reactions, clearly amused by it as well, and Luke watched the dance floor, faking not being interested in the scene going on in front of him.

Allison grabbed Akimi's arms and, excusing themselves from the group, they quickly left the table. As soon as they were out of ear shot Caleb chuckled, looking proud of Hanna. Remy giggled and pretty soon they were all laughing at the unexpected turn of events.

-"_So Hanna, _inquiring_ minds are_ dying_ to know. _Just _how well do you and Caleb know each other?_" Luke grinned at her while Hanna smiled sweetly at him.

-"_Luke, _that's_ for me and Caleb to know and for you to wonder._" Laughter erupted from Caleb's mouth once more as he saw Luke's shocked expression. Olivia gave her brother an amused look, which clearly said, "don't say I didn't warn you."

Pretty soon, after the main course was served, everyone attending the party was invited over to the dance floor. Hanna watched amusedly as Toby and Aria walked out on the dance floor. Her friend was clearly interrogating poor Toby about something. Across the room she saw Spencer and Noel talk about something, both of them laughing.

Hanna could also feel Akimi's eyes studying her. Olivia and Jason rose from their chairs and headed to the dance floor as well. Caleb turned his head from watching them dance and extended his hand to Hanna in a silent invitation. She took it and followed him on the dance floor.

Once they reached it, the band started playing an instrumental version of the song "It All Comes Down to You." Caleb and Hanna danced slowly, their bodies in total harmony with each other. They made some small talk before Caleb leaned in and kissed Hanna on the lips.

A sigh escaped Hanna's lips when he finally released her. She watched him with glazed eyes before they returned to their table. Remy smiled at them while Luke grinned wickedly. He had taken a picture of them kissing on the dance floor and was just about to tease his brother about public displays of affection when Spencer walked over to their table and sat down.

-"_Your ex is not a happy man, Hanna, I just heard him say something to someone on the phone about ending their contract. He was definitely complaining about the way that person failed to reach his target before._" The two women exchanged a nervous glance as a clearly agitated Aria made her way to the table and sat down next to Caleb.

-"_Aria, what's wrong? You've completely lost all color._" And indeed Aria was deadly pale as she nervously looked around the room. Luke rose from the table and headed over to the mini bar. He returned with a coffee for her. Aria took it while her friends watched her worriedly.

-"_Ezra is here._" Her muffled words sent a shiver down Hanna's spine as Spencer looked over to the dance floor where Olivia and Jason were still dancing and smiling at each other.

-"_Are you sure? Could you have possibly imagined this?_" Spencer felt herself get in a panicked state. Luckily, Noel and Toby showed up at the table. Remy rose up and dragged Luke to the dance floor while the newly arrived pair took their places at the table.

-"_Of course_ I'm_ sure, Spencer. Why do you think Noel and I risked so much to get Hanna away from Akimi? Ezra and him were friends in college._" Noel noticed Aria's shivering and removed his coat and put it on Aria's shoulders.

-"_Babe, calm down. We'll stop him. We did it before and we'll do it again_." Aria shook her head at him.

-"_How can you say that? You know why he's after me. You know what he's capable of doing. You know why he's a danger_ to_ Hanna as well._" Caleb watched the conversation silently. It finally seemed that the puzzle pieces were starting to fit together.

His mind finally clicked on who Ezra was and why Spencer seemed so uncomfortable at the idea of either Jason or Olivia hearing this particular conversation. Toby seemed to have caught on as well because he slowly coughed making everyone pay him attention.

-"_This is not the time or place for this conversation. I suggest we all relocate to _another location _after this party and talk _about_ everything there. Keeping Olivia and Jason out of the loop is impossible. They can't do their jobs unless they know what they are dealing with._"

Caleb nodded his head in agreement. Spencer groaned while Hanna shivered. Caleb noticed it and reached to remove his tuxedo jacket but she stopped him. Toby noticed Olivia and Jason making their way to the table. Gently excusing himself he went over to them and let them know of the sudden change of plans.

Olivia looked over to the table and studied Aria's panicked face. She mouthed an "everything would be alright" to her before she returned to the conversation between her, Jason and Toby. Noel sighed, but kept his arm around Aria's waist while Hanna interlocked her hand with Caleb's. As soon as Remy and Luke returned to the table Caleb let them know of the next course of action.

The group decided to wait until after dessert before leaving so that their hosts wouldn't suspect anything was wrong. Hanna excused herself from the table and walked to the bathroom. Once she reached a stall she locked it and finally let herself have the panic attack she had feared she would have ever since she saw Akimi enter the restaurant.

She exited the stall and stopped when an angry Allison stormed inside the bathroom. She looked at Hanna before she advanced until she was right in front of her, her eyes flashing with fury.

-"_You stupid bitch! How dare come and steal him? Do you really think Caleb cares about you? _You're just_ my hefty double. Or did you think I had no idea who you are? Leave him be or I'll _rip out _your eyes._" .

Allison took a step another towards her, but Hanna was done being nice and playing the victim. When Allison tried to slap Hanna, she grabbed Allison's wrist, stopping her. And she wasn't the only one. Olivia had silently followed Hanna in the room and had caught Allison's hand as well.

-"_Try that again Ali and I'll make sure you can never show your face in public. I've been playing nice so far for Jason's sake but if you think I'm going to let you ruin Caleb's happiness again then you don't know me at all. Now get away from Hanna before I remind you why you don't want to mess with me._"

The two girls released Allison's arm and she rushed to the door. The look she gave them both before exiting clearly stated things were far from over. Olivia narrowed her eyes, watching her leave, and then turned to Hanna and smiled at her.

-"_I owe you an _apology_ Miss Marin. I shouldn't have judged you based on your resemblance with Allison. It's safe to say I will try not to do so in the _future_. Truce?_" Olivia extended her hand to Hanna, who took it and gently shook it. The two women left the bathroom and returned to the table.

-"_Now Hanna, this is something I _heard_ from a reliable source. You managed to glue bitchy's lips together?_" Olivia winked at Hanna while Jason removed his tie. Caleb gave Hanna an incredulous look while Remy and Luke watched her in admiration.

-"_Ah that is a bit of a funny story actually._" Hanna smiled and started talking."_When we were at boarding school, before Spencer and I became roommates, Allison would bully me. She would say mean things to me, she gave me nicknames, and she would use my stuff _without _asking. I was almost at breaking point. But then my grandmother told me that the best way to get _rid_ a bully is to _stand up to them_. _"

Jason studied Hanna carefully, a grin appearing on his face as he remembered that particular incident quite well. Olivia sat back in her chair, her hand resting on Jason's while Luke and Remy waited patiently for the rest of the story.

-"_I had this _lip gloss_ that my mom had brought me _from Paris_ and Allison kept on using _without_ permission. I told her to stop doing it. I even locked it inside my nightstand, but she just wouldn't listen. So when the _time came for the _Christmas Ice Ball I did myself a favor and poured glue inside _the gloss bottle. I hated to ruin my own gloss, but I had to teach her a lesson."

Everybody gave her an incredulous look except Jason and Caleb who burst out laughing. Olivia gave Hanna a satisfied smile and Hanna continued her story.

-"_Needless to say, her lips got _glued_ together and she got a rash from the glue. _She never _touched any of my stuff again. Plus she couldn't go and complain to the principal about it. Plenty _of_ people heard me tell her not use my stuff. What was she _supposed_ say? _That_ I wasn't allowed to touch her stuff and because I didn't listen my lips got glued together? She never came after me from that day on._"

Jason and Caleb continued laughing as Hanna finished her story. Remy had joined them while Olivia looked at Allison's table. She noticed Allison was constantly whispering stuff to Akimi. Neither of them seemed pleased to be at the ball. Olivia then turned her head towards Toby's table and signaled him with her head that they should prepare to leave.

As the group left the table Caleb sent Luke and Remy back to their home to get some rest. He figured at least one of them needed to have a clear head and stay away from the mess that they were apparently going into.

The group left the ball quickly after that. When faced with Rochelle's reluctant face at seeing them all go Olivia made up some lame excuse of them going having busy schedules. Rochelle didn't comment but she clearly didn't believe it either. Jamie however stepped in, reminding her she was a host to the rest of the guests and that she should act like it.

He took Rochelle away, their children giving him grateful looks before they headed out to their cars. Noel and Aria, who had arrived with Spencer and Toby, changed their ride and left with Olivia and Jason inside Jason's car.

**Now people tell me your thoughts on this chapter aka hit the review button once you finished reading it. You guys finally saw Akimi arrive in the picture, was it a big surprise the way he appeared? How were the Haleb scenes? And Everyone else's for that matter? Spoby? Joliv? What did you guys like? What did you hate? **

**As a writer I feed on your opinions so please give me something to digest. XOXOXO**

**Nico**


	14. Chapter 14

Silence had fallen between Caleb and Hanna as he drove the car back home. Once they were inside the house they waited for their friends to come and join them as well. Hanna headed upstairs and changed into a pair of jeans, a shirt, and a pair of slippers and returned downstairs. She noticed Caleb had done the same.

Once she took a seat on the couch the front door opened and Aria and Noel walked in, followed by Spencer and Olivia. Jason was outside parking his car while Toby did a security check of the grounds outside the house. Once Toby returned and everybody had taken a seat around Caleb's office he turned his head to her.

-"_Hanna,_ when_ you came to us_ I_ asked you to tell me why Akimi wanted you dead. You never told us the truth, not entirely. Which leaves me with really not much of a choice. Either you tell me the truth _now _or I'll have to terminate my team's contract _with you_. I can't put people's_ lives_ in jeopardy if I don't know what we're up against._"

-"_When I told you the reason why I left my ex I held back _information _regarding something I have no proof he was linked to. I _believe_ he was responsible for my father's death. I think he did so that I would become vulnerable and easier to _manipulate_. _But_ like I said I have no proof about it. The reason why this thought entered my mind is a conversation he had over the phone regarding my_ dad's_ death._"

-"_It's the truth. He was involved in your father's death._" Aria's whispered voice shocked them all. Hanna turned her head and looked at her friend. Aria looked at the floor before continuing. "_Ezra purposefully caused the car crash that killed your dad. He's the reason he is dead. He and_ _Akimi went to college together. I found a file related to this in his desk. That's why we broke up._"

-"_Back up and say that again. Ezra is involved? Your ex- Ezra? The man that shot me? That Ezra?_" Olivia groaned as Aria put her head in her hands. Noel touched her shoulder gently in a comforting way.

-"_Hold up. You knew? You knew he was responsible for my father's death and kept it from me? Aria? How could you?_" Hanna's voice broke down because of the pain she felt knowing her friend had betrayed her trust. "_You left me to stay in that place for _two_ years while you knew the truth?_"

-"_And what was I supposed to do, Han? Tell you the truth and get both of us killed? Because just in case you _have_ forgotten my ex was out _for_ my blood just as bad _as your ex is for yours_. Why the hell do you think Noel and I invested so much time and money preparing your escape? Why did you think we risked our lives betting against Akimi? Do you think this was easy for us?_"

Hanna turned her eyes to watch Spencer. She just shook her head defensively at Hanna.

-"_Hey don't look at me like that. I had no idea what was going on either. But I can understand why Aria kept her silence. Hanna, I never hid the fact that I disliked Akimi and then a bomb was planted under one of my friend's car and it could have killed us all. He's a dangerous man who won't let anyone get in his way. Can you imagine what would have happened if he learned the truth about what Aria knew? The way he would react?_"

Hanna bit her lip. She rose from the couch and started pacing around the room. Spencer's eyes followed her, going back and forth, while Aria continued to keep her eyes staring at the ground.

Olivia coughed, clearing her throat, making everyone turn his or her heads to look at her.

-"_Given the circumstances I suggest that, for the time being, we all _remain_ in this house until we manage to make a plan about how to deal with Akimi and his gang. Therefore I suggest we take the spare rooms upstairs and use them for the night. I know we're all tired and worried and nervous but the only way to get through this is to try and remain calm._"

The group nodded their heads in agreement to what Olivia had just said. Jason then took charge and led everyone upstairs and helped them settle inside the spare rooms. Hanna and Caleb remained inside Caleb's office. She waited until everyone had left the room and then she took a seat in one of the armchairs and slumped her shoulders.

Caleb sat down on the arm of the chair, using his hands to rub Hanna's back. He noticed she was shaking so he got up and then sat down on his knees in front of her. He took her hands into his and waited for her to raise her head and look at him. When she did he noticed her makeup for the ball was ruined as tears fell from her eye. Taking a handkerchief from his pocket he gently wiped her tears, his thumb brushing her face.

-"_ I'm sorry for being such a mess. I never got closure over my father's death. We were very close and once he died and I said yes to _going to_ Akimi's house I wasn't allowed to actually grieve him properly. My ex believed I should've focused my life _on _making him happy instead of mourning my father. It was the first time we had an argument, _the_ first time he slapped me._"

-"_Hanna I was under the impression that he didn't _physically_ abuse you. What else are you keeping a secret?_" Caleb had to refrain himself as he once more felt the need to protect the petite woman in front of him.

-"_He hit me several times_ throughout_ the few years that I spent living under his roof. It was never something that would leave marks. _ He_ was also careful not to abuse me verbally, _at least not in front of others_. He called those slaps small corrections for when I should've known better. I refused to give in under his pressure. Last Christmas Noel and Aria visited and I managed to ask for her help. I guess now I know why they agreed to help me._"

Hanna let her feet slide besides Caleb's body, leaning her head on his shoulder. His arms wrapped around her waist as he kept her body close to his. Hanna turned her head slightly, facing him, before she placed a kiss on his cheek. Caleb turned his head and captured her lips with his own, his hand keeping her jaw in a way that allowed him to have better access to her lips.

He got up and grabbed Hanna's body, her legs encircling his waist, and brought her over to the couch. He gently laid her down; her eyes glazed over with lust before he headed to the door and locked it. Returning to her he resumed kissing her, his hands quickly disposing of her shirt. As his hands went behind her back and tried to unfasten her bra they both stopped kissing, hearing Olivia's loud knocking on the door.

-"_This isn't over yet._" Caleb placed a soft kiss on Hanna's lips as she put her shirt back on. Once they managed to straighten their clothes Caleb opened the door to reveal Olivia standing with her arms crossed and a smug smile on her face. Hanna made her way out of the office and up the stairs to her room.

-"_You just can't keep your hands off her,_ _can you Caleb?_" Olivia grinned, entertaining herself with the fact that she had managed to become a cock blocker for her stepbrother. Usually when Jason had an assignment that meant weeks could pass by without him touching Olivia. And if she couldn't get laid she as sure as hell wouldn't allow Caleb to get some.

-"_Mark my words sis. One of these days I'm gonna lock you and Jason in a room and you won't get out of there until there's a grandchild for Rochelle on the way._" Caleb grinned at Olivia, turning his head to her after watching Hanna's silhouette walk up the stairs.

-"_Oh I'm shaking with fear._" Olivia laughed as Caleb put one of his arms around her shoulders while they both climbed the staircase. Caleb led Olivia to the room she shared with Jason and then entered his own room. He stopped himself short as he noticed Hanna was lying on his bed, her body covered by the blankets.

Smirking, Caleb closed the door behind him and locked it as Hanna turned her head to face him...

**Hello lovelies, how are you all doing? I****'ve been meaning to update this two days ago but i got so caught up with stuff I forgot to do it.****Now let****'s move on with the story ok?**

**Anon 1. Haleb in this story are moving to getting together for real.**

**Liss I'm really interested to know what you think of their connection.**

**Pigua, thanks for reviewing.**

**Pllover13 I hope you liked this chapter.**

**Safrena, babe thank you for reviewing. It was time for Olivia to have a change of heart.**

**SereneCalamity, thank you for reviewing :)**

**Well guys I hope you enjoy this chapter as well so before you leave hit that small review button and let me know what you think. XO**


	15. Chapter 15

Spencer sat in an armchair facing the window. She looked outside at the garden, but her mind was elsewhere. Ever since she and Toby had ended up living in the same house, Spencer had found it increasingly difficult to maintain her walls around him.

She still hurt after loosing her baby. She was also aware that Toby's decision had saved her life. How she had wished he had saved their baby. A cold, rational part of her understood his reasons for saving her, but another dark part of her needed a way to lash out. She had wanted the baby so badly and not being able to have it had shaken her to the core.

She had spent her teenage years believing she was a failure to her family's standards. Not being able to have the baby had increased that feeling of failure so she had taken her pain out on Toby. She had destroyed the best thing that had ever happened to her as a means of punishing herself.

What good was she to Toby? What good was her relationship with him if she couldn't have his baby? Spencer was so caught up in her thoughts and letting her pain fill her mind that she hadn't heard the soft knocking on the door.

Toby entered the room and once he saw her sitting in the armchair he walked to stand near Spencer's crouched form. He noticed tears were running down her cheeks, ruining the makeup she had worn at the ball hours before. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he felt her jump slightly in her seat before she turned her eyes to look at him.

-"_I'm so sorry, Toby. I'm sorry about everything. It was all my fault._" Spencer let her eyes look at the floor. She didn't feel capable of looking back at Toby's blue eyes. She was shocked to feel him lower himself on his knees in front of her and hug her. As his arms wrapped around her waist Spencer hid her face in the crook of his neck and let her tears fall once more.

Toby kept her in his arms, realizing she was finally letting out all of her pain. When they had broken up years ago Spencer had pushed him away, lashed out at him, and rejected him every time he tried to be there for her. Eventually she had packed her stuff and left him because she felt their relationship had become too painful.

He had let her leave knowing that eventually they would find a way to sort through their pain, but right then Spencer needed space. She needed to clear her head and find her ground again. And as much as it pained Toby he couldn't give her that.

-"_Spencer, baby. _Stop_ blaming yourself. It was an accident. We both need to move forward. I'm not going to let you dwell _on_ the past and what _could have happened differently_ any longer. You have always been the strongest _person_ I know and over the past few days I've seen you come back _to life_. I'm not letting you torture yourself about this anymore._"

Toby lifted her head from his shoulder and kissed her. Spencer sighed into their kiss, feeling him stand up and lifting her body as well. Toby carried her to the bed, both of them shedding clothes everywhere on their path.

Caleb lifted his head from his pillow, watching Hanna's sleeping form next to him. He pressed his lips together as he remembered his reaction to seeing her in his room earlier that night. He had initially believed she wanted to continue the conversation they started inside his office earlier that night.

But he soon realized that the reason why she had come to his room was to let go of her bottled up feelings. Hanna had gotten out of his bed and started pacing and fidgeting, unable to say a word at the moment. Caleb then understood that she wasn't there to finish their earlier conversation. He was aware she hadn't been sleeping well ever since the bombing incident. The news about her father's death would end up taking away her ability to sleep for weeks if she didn't start getting stuff out of her mind.

-"_Hanna, why are you here?_" Caleb gently took her by the hand and made her sit on his bed. He noticed her flinch slightly as he took a step and sat down beside her. Hanna watched him in silence for a few moments before she finally opened her mouth.

-"_I can't sleep. I haven't slept well in days. _Every time_ I fall asleep I end up having nightmares. _That's _assuming I manage to fall asleep. _Usually_ I end up tossing and turning in my _bed_ for hours before my eyes close._"

-"_That's a normal reaction. You have been through a lot. Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to talk to somebody about this. One of your friends, maybe?_" Caleb tried to probe her mind as he spoke. Hanna shook her head quickly before answering.

-"_I can't talk to them. Spencer _has_ a lot on her plate dealing with Toby and their fallout right now and while _I'm_ grateful for everything _Aria_ did for me _I_ can't talk to her either. She is dealing with enough drama as well. I could try talking to a shrink, but is that wise? Akimi could get to me through her/him. So a shrink is not an option either._"

-"_You are _correct so_ just talk to me. I am a good listener and I've had my fair share of drama so I can handle a few of your demons as well._" Hanna looked at him with an emotionless smile on her face.

She did talk to him, however. She told him everything that was going through her head. She told him of her concerns about her friends and what she feared. She told him about her nightmares. She spoke until she felt tired and her throat was sore.

When her eyelids started to close and she looked like she might fall asleep Caleb made her lie in his bed next to him and placed a pillow under her head. He then grabbed a duvet and covered both their bodies. He waited for her to fall asleep, feeling her body snuggle into his in search of body heat.

No more words had been said between the pair as Caleb too had fallen asleep. He woke up later that night and looked at her sleeping form. Once he felt her shift and he heard her talk in her sleep he knew she was having a nightmare once again.

Caleb caressed the top of her head, whispering soft, comforting things to Hanna. He watched her as her sleep once again turned peaceful. He then wrapped his arms around her petite body and placed a small kiss on the top of her head. He allowed himself to once again fall asleep.

Olivia stared at Jason's sleeping form. She had woken up to hearing soft groaning and moans coming from the other side of the wall and figured Spencer and Toby had reconciled. Gently lowering herself from the bed, she put on a pair of slippers and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water.

Opening the freezer, Olivia studied its contents and removed a carton of ice cream as well. She grabbed a spoon from one of the drawers and slowly started eating the ice cream. Her mind continued to play over and over the events that had taken place ever since Jason and her had set foot at the charity ball.

None of them had been prepared to see Akimi walk inside the room as Allison's date, but Allison and Ezra working for him? That was such a twisted concept. Olivia feared that Jason would be the one to pay a high price for it and he was clearly not the only one to be caught as collateral damage. Jason's parents were bound to end up hurting as well. .

Once she finished eating the ice cream, Olivia left the kitchen and headed up the stairs. She stopped to take a glimpse at the security cameras down the hallway and felt herself freeze from the open window. Frowning, she made her way to the monitors and looked at them. A nasty feeling crept up inside her being and she quickly went back to her bedroom.

-"_Jason. Wake up. We have company inside the house._" Jason quickly rose from the bed and put on a pair of trousers and a shirt while Olivia did the same. Neither of them bothered with putting on shoes. Olivia headed to Noel and Aria's room, silently waking them up, while Jason entered Caleb's room.

Jason's presence in the room alerted Caleb from his sleep. Seeing the grim look on his friend's face Caleb woke up Hanna. He stopped her from talking, explaining she needed to get dressed fast. Hanna nodded her head and went to her room quickly. She grabbed the first pair of jeans and blouse that she could find and put on a pair of sneakers and returned to Caleb's room.

Olivia pushed Noel and Aria inside it while Caleb went to get Spencer and Toby. Once everyone was in the same room, Caleb opened one of his drawers. He removed several weapons from inside it and handed them to Toby and Jason. Olivia then removed a book from one of his shelves and pushed a small button, revealing a hidden door. Olivia opened the door and led Spencer, Hanna, Noel and Aria inside the secret room.

Caleb, Toby, and Jason finished gearing up. Toby and Jason made their way to the door while Caleb turned to his stepsister.

-"_We're going to do a light sweep of the property. You know the signals. Close the door and don't open it until it's safe._" Olivia nodded her head, closing the door behind her. They all heard a soft, whirring sound as the door became hidden a second time.

Once the door closed lights went on, revealing a room that had several couches and a mini bar and mini fridge. There was also a laptop and a wireless phone. "_I suggest you make yourself comfortable. This will be a long night. The boys are checking _the entire premises_ and I'm going to _help them_ coordinate _their_ moves around._"

-"_Olivia, what's going on? Is it Akimi?_" Spencer felt Hanna grip her hand tightly as Aria and Noel sat down on the couch in front of them.

-"_Hopefully it's Ezra. Right now we're not ready to cut off Medusa's head, so we're going to try and take down one of _its_ snakes. We _took_ a great risk moving you all here tonight but hopefully this mess will end soon. Now please be quiet and allow me to focus on helping my colleagues._"

Silence fell inside the room as its occupants did everything they could to remain calm while watching Olivia type furiously on her laptop.

**Hello everyone,**

**I****'m going to do a short round of thank you for all the reviews and following and favorites you guys have given this story and I'm also letting you know that there's only one more chapter coming for this fic. Hopefully it will be up in a matter of a week or two.**

**Merry Early Christmas,**

**Nico**


	16. Chapter 16

**Here it is. The final chapter of the story you guys kept me going to write with all your wonderful reviews and thoughts. Thank you for giving me this beautiful feeling. Now for the last time I ask that you tell me what you think of the final chapter for this story.**

**Nico**

Caleb and Jason moved around the house soundlessly. Olivia had been right. Someone had infiltrated the perimeter. When Caleb had realized his ex-wife was the one that wired his office he had spoken to Olivia about taking a risky course of action.

Olivia suggested they bring both Spencer and Hanna back to the house after the charity ball and make it seem as if they had a slip in their security. Hopefully Akimi would react and he would try to do something, allowing Caleb to at least get rid of some of his minions.

Caleb gave Jason a small glance through the corner of his eye. His friend was tense. Neither of them had realized that there was such a deep connection between Olivia's shooting incident and Hanna. Jason blamed himself for Olivia's gunshot just as much as he blamed Caleb for not being sober at the time.

The pair moved and noticed a group of people silently making their way on the grounds. They took cover and then with a nod of his head Caleb gave his signal to Jason. Both of them shot their targets with perfect precision, making sure that they wouldn't end up dead but that they wouldn't be able to move further either.

Olivia had been instructed to call the police and let them know what was going on while Toby had been told to secure the upstairs floor so that no one would find the panic room before the police or the back-up Luke sent arrived.

Once the targets in the garden were neutralized Caleb checked on the rest of his team's status. Everyone was ok. Toby had found Ezra trying to make his way upstairs and had managed to put a bullet in his shoulder. Caleb still refused to let anyone celebrate victory yet.

Ezra was dealt with but he had some serious doubts that he was the one leading the attack. Making his way around the house once more Caleb stopped in front of his office door. Akimi was waiting for him in his desk chair facing the door, a gun in his hand.

-"_I must say I'm impressed with how well you handle your security, Caleb. Then again you and your people do have the reputation __of__ being some of the best in the business. How is my lovely Hanna doing?_" Akimi gave Caleb a look where his charming smile faded away and ugly personality showed up.

-"_My girlfriend is fine. She's in a safe place where you can't find her, which reminds me. __How__ did you get Allison involved __in all of __this?_" Caleb gripped his gun tighter. He studied the man in front of him, trying to figure out how his ex-wife came into play.

-"_Allison and __I__ have been intimate for quite a while now. She's been spreading her legs for me before she married you. What can I say? She's a beautiful woman __and__ a good fuck and once Hanna left me and came to you for help of all people... Well Allison became a means to an end for me._"

-"_I see. __How__ did you convince her to help you? What's in it for her? Because I doubt my ex-wife would risk her life and relationships with her entire family over a good fuck as you so poetically put it._"

Caleb noticed Jason make his way to the office's garden entry. He too kept his gun ready to use if necessary. For now, however, Jason was listening to what Akimi had to say about Allison's involvement.

-"_Well I may have implied to her that I still needed a wife once I deal with my runaway bride __and__ Allison was more than happy to assume I would be willing to marry her once I got rid of Hanna. But here's the thing. I don't plan on getting rid of her. I plan to take her back home with me where she can get the proper medical treatment that she so desperately needs._"

Jason moved silently and put his gun next to Akimi's temple, making him freeze. He had not realized someone else was in the office with him and Caleb.

-"_Put your gun down right now and __put__ your hands up. Believe me when I say I can kill you and make this look a suicide but I'd rather not have to clean your sorry ass from the floor. Instead I'll do what my job requires me to do when protecting a case. I will hand you over to the police. And you don't have to worry about being released anytime soon. My family still has connections that will keep you away for good._"

As Akimi stepped away from the desk fear appeared on his face. He had assumed that he would gain the upper hand by taking advantage of the slip in the security. He then finally realized the truth.

-"_You planned this all along, didn't you? This was a trap to lure me out __here__._" Caleb smirked at Akimi as understanding about being fooled appeared on his face.

-"_For what__ it's worth we were hoping to get only your minions, not you as well. __You are just a bonus.__ And yes this was a trap from the get go. What can I say? __The__ person handling my tactics division knows how to do their job._"

Once Caleb finished talking Toby walked inside the room followed by Gabe Holbrook. He put the cuffs around Akimi's wrists and took him into custody. As the police removed Akimi's minions from the house grounds, Luke called Caleb and informed him about talking to Jason and Spencer's sister, Melissa, who was DA and having her handling the prosecution charges.

Once the police left the premises together with Akimi and his men, Caleb headed up the stairs, opened the door to the panic room, and let everyone know what was going on.

-"_The__ police have taken Akimi and Ezra into custody. We're going to __make__ sure they don't get out for a long while to come. Bottom line is __you're__ safe. This mess is finally over._"

Aria squealed, wrapping her arms around Noel in a tight hug while Olivia and Spencer grinned at each other before leaving the room. Hanna rose from her seat and walked over to Caleb, studying him before placing a small kiss on his lips.

-"_Thank you for everything that you did for me._" Caleb smiled at her before reaching out and bringing their lips together. Aria and Noel left the room, closing the door behind them, while Caleb grabbed Hanna's ass and easily lifted her up in his arms.

Hanna wrapped her legs around his waist, grinding her body against his while Caleb smiled against her lips. Walking backwards he opened the door and carried Hanna to his room. He shut the door behind them, making sure to lock it.

-"_You know if you're not sure about this we can always stop._" He spoke to her, studying her eyes carefully, watching to see if she had any kind of doubts. His worries disappeared as he saw certainty in Hanna's eyes.

His hands sneaked under her shirt hem and removed it before he brought their lips back together in a kiss. He suddenly felt Hanna's hand go to her head, releasing her hair. When he noticed her free hair he grinned, his hand wrapping around her rebel curls. He then pushed Hanna's body on the bed following her shortly after that.

Olivia headed to the kitchen once Caleb came in and told them all the good news. She saw Jason sitting in a chair facing the window, a cup of coffee in his hands. Making her way to him she climbed into his lap, lowering her head on his shoulder while his arms went around her waist.

-"_Babe, are you ok? Caleb told us what happened. He's now busy taking care of Hanna while Noel and Aria are upstairs celebrating with Spencer and Toby._" Jason nodded his head, his eyes still watching outside the house as the sun slowly started rising, announcing a new day for everyone.

-"_I'm ok. There's just something I've been meaning to ask you for a long time. I had this question on my mind ever since you hit me and __broke__ my nose back when we first met in Venice. After everything that happened tonight __I__realize__ I need to start taking a page out of Caleb's book and not wait around when I want something. So I need to know. __Will you__ do me the honor of becoming my wife?_"

Olivia's eyes filled with tears as she pressed a kiss to Jason's lips, her fingers running through his hair. Once she finally released him she smiled at him, nodding her head in approval.

-"_Of course I will marry you! Did you ever doubt I would really say yes?_" They both turned their heads once they heard clapping behind them. Spencer and Toby had walked in the kitchen and were now smiling at them. Toby's hands wrapped around Spencer's waist as she let her head rest against his shoulder.

Epilogue

A year later the sentence for both Akimi and Ezra had been pronounced. A shocked Ashley Marin had arrived in the US searching for Hanna once she learned the truth of what had been going on with her.

Hanna and Caleb had continued dating and she now worked at their company as Olivia's PA. Hanna had been really helpful with handling TMU once they learned a wedding was happening, especially given the way things ended for Allison.

Once Akimi was arrested and it became clear he had never had the intention of marrying her, Allison had disappeared from her home. She had emerged several months later and had tried attacking Hanna while she was alone in Caleb's kitchen. Unfortunately for Allison, who never really bothered setting foot inside it, Hanna adored the kitchen area.

When Allison tried to reach out for Hanna's neck and strangle her, Hanna had used her training with Olivia and Caleb and stepping aside and grabbing the first thing that came into her hand she ended up hitting Allison's face with a frying pan. Olivia, who had decided to drop by for coffee, had been shocked to find an unconscious Allison on the floor while a shaking Hanna explained everything to her.

Shaking her head Olivia took care of Allison, making sure she would get medical treatment as she had clearly lost her mind and was now in a catatonic state. A friend of their family had emerged and arranged for Allison to be taken away to a mental institution instead of prison. Allison's parents had been devastated to hear about the turn of events, but they decided it was for the best.

As Spencer and Hanna made their way down the aisle in their bridesmaid outfits they both glowed. Caleb and Toby exchanged knowing grins, both taken aback by their beauty. None of that really mattered to Jason who was paying attention only to the young woman being brought over by Jamie. Olivia looked breathtaking as a bride.

As the couple exchanged their vows and everyone made their way to the reception that followed, Caleb and Hanna announced their engagement while Spencer and Toby let everyone know that they would soon start a small family of their own as Spencer was pregnant once more.

Aria and her husband exchanged a happy glace as they realized that everything and everyone had ended up having happy endings. Both of them were happy knowing that all of their friends finally got the happy endings they deserved.


End file.
